RSS feedsRecruitment is always a hot topic, whether for your own firm or when advising clients on how best to recruit. Finding the right people with the necessary technical skills can be difficult, so firms need to look beyond academic qualifications.
The government is currently working towards getting 50% of all young people in university by 2010. MBAs are also seen as a must-have for business executives. It’s understandable, therefore, that many think academic qualifications are a prerequisite for a prosperous career.
However, from Bill Gates and Richard Branson to Simon Cowell and Jamie Oliver, there are a number of successful business people without higher education qualifications ready to prove this theory wrong. Indeed, there are also partners in accountancy firms who do not possess an honours degree.
In accountancy, professional qualifications are required to ensure standards are upheld, but these can be gained while in a working environment. Commonly known as graduate trainee programmes, training or apprenticeships are a key part of a business career.
During the television programme, The Apprentice, viewers watched a shortlist of eager candidates, including a lawyer and a Cambridge graduate, endure a 12-week recruitment process for a position within Sir Alan Sugar’s business. In the end, Sir Alan, another self-made millionaire who didn’t pursue an academic route, chose Michelle Dewberry, a former telcoms programme manager with only two GCSEs.
By impressing Sir Alan with her work ethic, people management and negotiation skills, Dewberry shows that an individual’s attitude and personality can be just as vital as an education. This doesn’t diminish the importance of a good education – Dewberry herself recommends that students strive to pass their exams.
The problem is that recruitment can sometimes be overwhelming. Certain positions attract a huge number of applicants and many firms do not have the time or resources to implement a lengthy assessment process. Instead, they set minimum qualification criteria, such as ‘educated-to-degree-level’, simply to narrow the field and save time. The concern is that the firm could be missing out on a rising star.
But identifying the right characteristics does not have to involve a 12-week programme. Some organisations, such as ASDA, have taken a more practical approach. The supermarket chain recently implemented a bespoke online psychometric assessment that matches new recruits with the company’s brand values. To help select appropriate candidates, ASDA first identified its brand characteristics. A test was then designed to highlight candidates who matched those traits and abilities.
The system offered the top 20% of candidates an interview, rather than the top 50% as before, radically streamlining the process.
In a society that is becoming increasingly sceptical, intangible assets, such as a firm’s corporate culture and integrity, are becoming more important to clients.
Growing competition has also motivated accountancy firms to differentiate their services and offer a broader skill set. Many successful practices are moving beyond the traditional role of accountants to provide clients with wider business advice. It makes good business sense to choose new recruits that reflect the company’s ethos, rather than those that have a degree.
RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Hiring the wrong person is expensive and time consuming in terms of the additional demands under-performing employees place on a business. Before recruiting, businesses should consider the following points:
What does the job entail?
Think beyond the job description and draw up a list of what an
effective performer would be expected to achieve.
Personal qualities
Define the attributes needed for the job. This should include the abilities,
personality, motivations and values.
Measure the qualities
Consider using psychometric tests of ability and personality to measur
e those harder to reach attributes.
Set a task
Ask the candidate to complete an exercise that closely simulates key demands of
the job.
Make an objective decision
Base your decision on the level of fit between the candidates’ profile of
suitability. Be wary of making decisions based on personal liking or the
‘similar-to-me’ effect.
Alan Redman is a director at Criterion Partnership
