Q&A: What is wrong with Hiring? with Harshal Goyal

Every week, we schedule our weekly 1:1 with our readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Drop an email to [email protected]

This week we’re in conversation with Harshal Goyal, Vice President, Talent Solutions- Staffing, RPO & Perm, at NLB Services. We talk about what is wrong with hiring right now.

The interview is edited for length and clarity. All views are personal and not linked to any organisation.

Q- What is wrong with hiring these days?

In hiring, there are two fundamental issues that many companies face. Firstly, the lack of a formal EVP (Employee Value Proposition) document, which should clearly state the organization's credentials, journey, and industry recognition. This leads to generic conversations with candidates, hindering the hiring process.

Secondly, companies often fail to showcase their leadership and culture effectively. Providing access to leaders' LinkedIn profiles and detailing the company's values and diverse leadership can significantly improve candidate perception.

Furthermore, the EVP should include information about the clients or customers the company deals with, as it demonstrates the variety of projects and the company's reach.

Being demanding as a candidate is not wrong; it's essential to find the right fit and understand the role and expectations thoroughly. Transparency and encouraging communication between candidates and organizations are crucial.

To enhance the hiring process, streamlining the recruitment process, providing clear timelines, and having an FAQ section in the EVP can create a better candidate experience and reduce the risk of losing potential hires due to prolonged negotiations or delays.

Q- It is the Employer's market and hence the candidate experience is declining, what do you think about it?

Ensuring a positive candidate experience is essential for companies, regardless of the number of applications they receive. While it might be challenging for organizations to respond to every candidate due to the sheer volume of applications, they should strive to make the recruitment process more candidate-friendly. Automated systems can be used to send out messages and acknowledgements to applicants.

Companies should be committed to building a great candidate experience, and this commitment can be a differentiating factor between employer-friendly companies and those struggling to attract talent. Leading companies like Apple and Google prioritize responding to candidates as part of their process, and other organizations should follow suit.

Setting KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for talent acquisition teams that focus on both output and input is crucial. Not only should recruiters be measured based on their onboarding and outreach efforts, but also on the feedback and responses they provide to candidates. Feedback, even if it's a rejection, is essential in maintaining a positive employer brand and ensuring a high-quality talent pool.

In conclusion, companies should be proactive in communicating with candidates, making them feel valued throughout the recruitment process. Emphasizing candidate experience and setting appropriate KPIs for recruiters can lead to significantly better outcomes and help attract top talent to the organization.

Q- Have you noticed that interview processes are often designed for a specific type of candidate, and even star performers may be asked the wrong questions at various stages? What has been your experience with this?

Today, organizations have made significant improvements in their interview processes. Instead of relying on a single interviewer's decision, they now conduct multiple rounds with different panel members providing feedback. This approach helps eliminate biases and allows for a more comprehensive assessment of candidates.

The use of assessment platforms like HackerRank and Clear Talent services further enhances the qualification process, ensuring that suitable right candidates are presented to the panels. With advancements in AI and HR tools, the hiring process is becoming more effective.

While inexperienced interviewers may struggle to assess candidate skills accurately, overall, organizations are making efforts to retain and attract top talent. They are committed to presenting the best candidates and continuously evolving their methods to ensure success in this domain.

Q- How do you deal with the challenges of consistency with policies on social media, especially when changes are made and communicated publicly, but later reversed internally? Is excessive transparency problematic in this context?

As an organization, transparency is the key in communicating policy changes and being open to suggestions from employees and stakeholders. It's crucial to have a holistic approach to the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and consistently communicate the company's commitment to evolving and adapting policies as needed. Organizations must keep evolving their EVP to align with changing demands, such as focusing on diversity or catering to Gen Z and millennials. Senior-level management should drive the focus on being employee-centric, leading to consistent messaging. Building a strong EVP is a journey that requires continuous improvement and validation from employees and external stakeholders. Consistency in efforts and communication about the ongoing evolution of the EVP is critical for success.

Q- If you had to summarise this in 3 points, how would you?

To summarize, here are three points companies can improve upon:

1. Create a formal EVP document to present a clear and compelling value proposition to candidates.

2. Establish regular talent community connections, such as hackathons or job fairs, to engage with potential candidates and understand their needs better.

3. Invest in consulting projects to benchmark compensation and benefits against industry and competitor practices, implementing best practices in their ecosystem.

Additionally, focus on enhancing the candidate experience by streamlining the recruitment process, providing timely feedback, and creating emotional connections with candidates and their families to build a positive and lasting impression.