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At Work – at last!
Someone very close to me recently decided to change career direction. Inevitably I had the desire to throw in my five pennyworth of advice (a cardinal sin because I am not a trained careers adviser) but all contributions were gratefully received and the outcome was a success story – an excellent job that aligned well with the skills and abilities of the individual. But the process of recruitment and selection was interesting and I found myself doing a ‘desktop Assessment’ of the manner in which this was handled and how well it fitted the Advice that I would provide as a Practitioner to those pursuing matrix Accreditation for Internal services.
It was one of those situations where the employing organisation had engaged an Agency to act on their behalf. This is one of the often queried aspects of the scope to which matrix might apply. Some people hold the view that for element 1 it is only the employers that provide ‘the Service’ whereas it could be that if the Agency is acting on their behalf there is perhaps vicarious responsibility in relation to the provision of IAG. Certainly the applicant is likely to view it this way and in this instance the Agency shone like a beacon. There was a three-way understanding of what was required. Having registered with the Agency, the job applicant was required to submit a CV and relevant supporting information; the Agency handled the interaction with prospective employers, obtaining details of what they were seeking; the employers provided information sufficient to meet the applicant’s needs.
The Agency’s information to the applicant was comprehensive – full details of the job description, person specification, an outline of the selection and interview process, timescales, directions and contact numbers. Having reached the stage of a first interview, the applicant received from the employers precisely the information that was needed. When and how the interview was to be conducted, with whom, what to take, where to go, parking arrangements, whether there were any special or additional needs. Initial queries from the applicant were appropriately answered, enabling the opportunity to carry out a lot more research through the Company’s Website and other sources.
The applicant described the experience of the interview to me, “Whatever the outcome, I know that I would like to work for them. From the moment I got there everyone was very helpful and the structure of the interview was clear. The interviewers were very fair and although their questions were searching, I felt that everyone would be having the same experience.”
Excitement mounted at the news of a second interview, the format of which was more extensive. There was no hidden agenda – from the outset it was made clear that the opportunity to meet members of the prospective team, representatives of the client group, lunch with a Director and the formal interview were all part of the selection process. Once again, the applicant, came away impressed with the transparent and amicable manner in which this took place. Arrangements for the outcome of the interview were defined.
The offer of employment and its terms were communicated to the applicant by the Agency, following which there was dialogue between the applicant and the employers. There were no shortfalls in their telephone contact - the start date and information sufficient to endure day one were relayed. The personal and caring approach was appreciated – “For my first day they suggest that I might want to be aware that my photograph will be taken for my I/D card so that I can consider how I might wish to appear.” Vanity still prevails!
The following day a full employment package arrived – I would challenge anyone to discover what might be missing. All the relevant information was within – terms of appointment and conditions of service, pension and medical arrangements, organisational values, loyalty schemes, arrangements for induction, reference to the Staff Handbook, etc. All this reflected a Company that cared for its staff and was determined to motivate and develop them. Undoubtedly they are deriving the benefits of staff retention, thereby keeping the costs of recruitment and selection as low as possible.
The story reflects credit to the Agency and the Company and it will be nice to encourage their consideration of the matrix Standard. Sadly though, the applicant did not share such positive experiences with all Agencies/organisations – the inconsistency and gaps in information and advice demonstrated why there is a need for those to consider a quality standard.
The ‘At Work’ aspect of the matrix Standard is sometimes difficult to comprehend but to relate it as a ‘cradle to grave’ experience (recruitment/selection to exit interview) is a helpful way of understanding the application of the Standard to internal services. It is also a good way of checking whether you can demonstrate your commitment to IAG in the workplace.