Workplace Wisdom XII.Employing the right person

UNLIKE the chicken-or-the-egg-first enigma, in the employer/employee hierarchy it is definitely the former who lays claim to starting the bell rolling.  Logically, the employer is entitled to his designation only after the employee has been installed but the whole process is set in motion when the employer decides to look for someone to employ. This decision is the crucial cog in the wheel.  He knows his organization, what it needs by way of human resource, what it can give in return and how it can provide the right incentive.  Once he formalizes his requirements, he has then to spell out the qualifications that are needed for the effective functioning of the appointee.  He will be spending money on the salary and other attendant perks of the person that he selects.  Naturally, he should choose someone who will provide adequate return on this investment.

 Filling a vacancy or creating one is the least difficult part for an employee; he owes it to himself and to the person who will be the incumbent, to make three things clear:

a) What is the precise job function?  What does it entail by way of authority and responsibility?  Where does it stop or overlap another activity?

b) What should the person you are looking for have by way of qualification, experience and mental make-up?

c) What will he get by way of money and perks; are there prospects for future growth and job satisfaction?

Once the employer is clear in his mind about the three important fundamental principles, he should call for applications.  It is better to specify a deadline for their receipt, a safe margin being allowed for outstation replies and postal delays.  On expiry of the specified date, the applications should be screened as early as possible and the short-listed candidates informed of an interview date.  In the long run, delay will be more than compensated for the output of the right person.  If a perfect match is hard to come by it might be better to redefine the job description initially and later, train the person if he has the potential, to take on what was left out.  It will be unfair to both the person and the job, if the second best is expected to function as the best choice.

 Points to note while selecting employees:

*.  Avoid glamorizing the job to attract applications

.  *Only advertise a job which will require functioning right away – employing a person for a future assignment and keeping him idle indefinitely might drive him away.

.* Understating the company’s projections is better than exaggerating them.

. * Be clear about the kind or person you want for a particular job.