Almost simultaneously with the temporary maternity-related reduction of our small two-person HR team, the first measures to contain the coronavirus were introduced. Read here how our new recruiting method is emerging from this necessity.
To relieve myself, the part-time, temporarily sole HR manager with three children homeschooled, I decided to adapt the recruitment process. I quickly invited the managers involved in the six (!) current recruitment processes to a meeting and presented myag for the changes. They would now not only handle the initial screening of applications but also conduct the first interviews, entirely without HR involvement. All my colleagues quickly and unanimously agreedag my proposal (You guys are the best! A huge thank you!).
What happened next was unprecedented: The supervisors screened and organized their interviews as agreed – but not alone. They involved their team. The presumably future team of our applicants. Questions wereagprepared and coordinated, mini-assessments were set up, and interviews with team members were scheduled. Could this possibly work?
Yes, it works. "At first, it took some getting used to," confirms our Head of Infrastructure, Manuel Wenger, "presenting the company myself and, as he so aptlyagit, being solely responsible for breaking the ice." Thanks to valuable tips from HR, the interviews soon became routine. Manuel also sees a major advantage in the scheduling. Especially when there are many recruitment processes running simultaneously, the HR calendar quickly fills up, and interview appointments have to be postponed far into the future, increasing the risk of candidatesag. In the past, Manuel has often involved future teammates of the applicants in the recruitment process, not least because they are familiar with the respective field and can assess at a glance whether the candidate would be a good fit in terms of expertise.
Whenagif they preferred this type of interview, all the "new recruiters"aganswered in the affirmative. The idea is "awesome," our colleague Miguel Perello, who is currently helping to recruit two developers for our streaming unit,agme. Having the opportunity to help select one's future teammate is not only the best way to show current employees appreciation and trust, but also a great opportunity to consider the applicants from all angles. While their supervisor, Simon Hasler, Head of Streaming, focuses on the resumes, his colleague Simon Pertschyagthe applicants more about their development experience, and Miguel wants to learn more about the applicants' personal skills. Simon P. also sees it as an opportunity for the applicant to see from the outset with whom they will later be workingaga daily basis.
I wanted to know from them whether the decision would be different than if the supervisor recruited alone. Miguel and Simon P. suspect that the joint decision for or against a candidate will be exactly the same. Their supervisor, Simon H., however, doubts this. During the recruitment process, he gained a better understanding of what was important to his fellow recruiters, where they felt skepticism, and what unansweredagthey had. He suspects this subconsciously influenced him and helped guide decisions. Despite the increased coordination effort for meeting invitations and the fact that he is taking two of his employees away from their daily work, Simon H. finds this type of recruitment very worthwhile. The decision-making process is more broadly based, and the interviews—everyone agrees on this—are more relaxed. They allow for more observation, since you're not constantly asking theag, but can simply listen and observe. This is also very well received by the applicants.
For our Marketingag, Daniela Ackermann, it's perfectly normal that she handles the initial recruitment steps on her own, rather than the Head of Marketing and HR. After all, she herself was recruited by a colleague some time ago. While the Head of Marketing is present for the first interview with candidates, the preparation, initial selection, and conducting the interview are entirely Daniela's responsibility. The entire team then participates in the subsequent decisions.
There is unanimous agreement among all regarding the future: We will continue and cultivate this type of recruitment at Netstream, even after Corona and the shortage of HR resources.
Unfortunately, I couldn't convince either Miguel or Daniela to join my HR department. Manuel, on the other hand, enjoys coming to HR, but only to have coffee with me and chat about recruitment. Only Simon P. doesn't find the idea of doing an HR internship so far-fetched anymore… (Strike!).
