When you look at the hockey draft, everyone agrees that it is important to select players wisely. Some sports commentators even go so far as to predict the chances of making the playoffs or not based on this crucial step. In my opinion, recruiting should be for the company what the draft is in hockey: an essential activity to build a winning team. However, in reality, this is not always the case.

Take a leap forward

Traditionally, employers tend to view recruitment as a necessary evil. This view leaves companies vulnerable as they face two traps:

1. Minimizing Recruitment: When hiring is seen as a non-value-added activity, it is left to a HR graduate or young professional who tries to do the best they can with little support and a meager budget to fill positions.

2. Recruiting in emergency mode: Due to lack of time and energy, recruitment is sometimes handled on demand and in "emergency" mode. For example, an employee has just resigned, a new person must be found in less than two weeks, the notice period. This situation is common when an organization is experiencing strong growth. It is at this stage that we regularly see a high turnover rate, communication problems, poorly trained managers, overloaded employees and production errors. These two scenarios expose a large part of the problem faced by many SMEs. What if we changed the situation now?

Three solutions for rethinking recruitment

To modernize the traditional approach, I like to say that recruitment is successful when it is planned, inclusive and structured. In order to initiate this shift, organizations should rethink their hiring process by considering three points:

● More structure Here, I don't mean that we need to set up a long and impersonal protocol or that everything needs to be automated. Nobody likes to be recruited by a robot! A clear and structured process is much more pleasant. Companies like Groupe 2C2B have been able to innovate by reviewing each of the hiring steps to ensure that the candidate experience reflects the company's values. For example, each member of the team meets the candidate in the form of a game where each person's strengths and values are discovered. The result? Employees are more involved in the selection, the process is more human and the steps are efficient, while being fair to all candidates.

So, if you recruit intuitively, without following a clear approach, take advantage of the resumption of activities to improve your process. Take a step back, establish the steps, target who will be in charge of hiring and then determine the interview questions that reflect the reality of the work to be done. My last piece of advice is this: dare to have fun! Who said that recruiting had to be strict and complex?

● Inclusive rather than selective

The pearl is not as rare as we think. When we open ourselves to diversity and atypical profiles, we discover inspiring people who are ready to take on challenges. The rare pearl is not always the one we imagine. We must see beyond appearances. The diversity of a team is an inestimable wealth. So, how can we open ourselves to different profiles? A company can, for example, train its recruiters to counter unconscious biases and prejudices. It is also possible to use a well-crafted evaluation grid to analyze candidates objectively. I will conclude by adding this: inclusion begins even in the choice of words that will be inserted in the job posting and in your analysis of the famous pearl.

● Aligned with values Up until now, we have considered skills, personality (soft skills) and degrees in the analysis and selection of new employees. I notice that one thing seems to escape us: the fit with values. I love recruiting, but it is my role to ensure that the person who will join the team recognizes themselves in the values experienced, the atmosphere, the pace of work and the mission.

How do you do this? Start by informing potential candidates of your company values and reiterate them during the interview. Make sure you are the right company for the candidate and not just the other way around.

Basically, what does it mean to recruit well?

Good recruitment means choosing the right person for the right job, the right company and the right team. This is what you will be told regularly. When we think further, we realize that this activity is much more essential. It promotes the quality of work, consistency with the company's vision and synergy between members.

As COVID-19 tests our ways of doing things and our ability to adapt, the company of the future is now defined by the depth of its people. As Richard Branson, the famous British entrepreneur behind the Virgin Group, says: “Good people are not only crucial to a business, they are the business.”