Volume recruiters knowingly hire the wrong people

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A study has found that more than a third of volume recruiters knowingly hire unsuitable candidates for frontline roles.

Talent Q questioned 102 UK organisations that hire frontline staff each year in sales and customer support roles, including retail, service and hospitality companies. It found that a ‘vicious circle’ exists in high volume recruitment, in which poor selection practices lead to unsuitable candidates being appointed; their expectations of the job do not match the reality of the role so they soon leave, creating annual attrition rates of 20-50%; the circle then starts again, as the employer seeks to hire replacement staff.

The study revealed that 37% of volume recruiters are fully aware that they are hiring the wrong people for frontline positions; only 51% use ability tests to help select the right candidates and only 47% conduct structured interviews.

It also showed that 60% of companies with large numbers of frontline staff have an annual attrition rate of more than 20%, while 32% of companies experience 31-50% staff turnover in frontline roles each year. It has been estimated that a ‘typical’ volume recruiter will spend more than £2.8m per year just to recruit for its frontline roles.

It concluded that attrition rates could be reduced in volume recruitment if selection processes were improved to allow the right people to be hired at the outset.

The report offered four recommendations for volume recruiters:

  1. Match up the key requirements of the role with a candidate’s competencies.
  2. Use realistic job previews and situational judgement tests for frontline roles to ensure that the expectations of new recruits match the reality of the job.
  3. Introduce objective and fair selection methods that can be replicated in every location.
  4. Ensure that the entire recruitment process is engaging for candidates.

“Some volume recruiters compromise on the quality of hire when it comes to frontline positions, because they are under pressure to fill the roles quickly,” said Steve O’Dell, Managing Director, Talent Q. “[But] once you appoint the right people, it’s likely that they’ll perform better, they’ll stay longer, they’ll be more engaged, your customers will be happier, your recruitment costs will reduce and your bottom line will improve.”

Author: Megan Jones

Published On: 25th Sep 2013 - Last modified: 22nd Mar 2017
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