STAFF APPOINTMENTS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 22 January 1927, Page 18

STAFF APPOINTMENTS

SELECTING A CANDIDATE. SUGGESTIONS TO EMPLOYERS j The following artiole on “Factors j That Count When Malting Staff Ap- j pointments" is taken from the Mor- j eantile Gazette of New Zealand. Last jSaturday we published an article from j the same source, in which excellent advice was tendered to candidates re- j garding factors to be considered when j applying for appointment to a com- j mercial office staff. . In many cases insufficient attention is paid to the matter of staff appoint-, ments, with the result that the execu-! tives concerned waste much time and money in a fruitless effort- to fit square 1 pegs in round holes. A little extra attention when filling vacancies is red paid many times over. There is prob-j ably no greater leak in any business than in connection with labour turnover, but unfortunately this fact is not fullv appreciated by principals general-1 Jy ‘ i ‘ The time to take the most trouble in! respect to securing the right employee | for a particular job is before the actual appointment is made, not afterwards. A.s a rule, provided that it is necessaryj to invoke outside aid, it is better to advertise the vacancy and test- out the market, so to speak, than to simply i rely on some individual who has happened along. Frequently a manager will say that lie knows all the good i men available, and for that reason it is not necessary to insert- an advertisement. Such an attitude ,is wrong, j because the wisest of us never knows just what talent may be unearthed by a suitable notification inviting appiica- 1 lions for the berth. Because of some | disagreement or other factor an ideal man who, to all intents and purposes, is happily situated with another firm may respond to a suitable advertisement. Now. a word or two a.s to the framing of the advertisement calling for assistance. The intimation should clearly and definitely state just what is expected of the prospective employee. A vague announcement defeats its own purpose. If a ledgerkeeper is needed then this should be stated: should the services of a customs clerk he required the fact should be clearly indicated. We have, at times, read advertisements that gave no indication as to the precise, duties of the employee, sought, nor did they even suggest the nature of the business. There was nothing to give candidates a lead as to whether thenqualifications fitted them for the post or not. ’ Such advertisements do an incalculable amount of harm. Tliev waste the time of both employers and employees: in the case of the first bymaking it necessary to wade through dozens of letters from people who are quite unsuitable, and in the case of the candidates, by inviting them to respond blindly and unnecessarily. If a clerk who has had no customs experience reads that a man with special training in that work is needed he will waste neither the employer’s nor bis own time in a needless application. It is a good plan to give an idea as to salary in the advertisement. If a job is worth £4(X) per annum, state that that emolument "’ill be paid. Suitable men are always more likely to respond where the .salary is stated. In the ease or a man drawing, say, £350 a year, lie will possibly be interested if it is announced that £4OO will be given] whereas an intimation that a liberal salary will ho forthcoming will carry little’weight, because he may think, and rightly so, that £350 or hi.s present remuneration is what the advertiser has in rnind. Occasionally one reads an announcement to the effect that applicants should state salary required. In our opinion e-m----p.-oye'rs who seek assistance on this basis deserve little or no sympathy if the material offering is of indifferent grade. Experience shows that when it comes to obtaining staff on the principle, or even on a basis that- can be reasonably interpreted as the principle, of the cheapest article the oest class of worker does not respond. We believe that some executives have adopted ibis procedure quite unwittingly in the past. They, maybe, have found it necessary to fill a post and have been uncertain as to what salary should be paid, and have therefore thought that the best plan was to get the candidates to fix, themselves, what the service is worth. The method, however, is wrong, and a little thought will show this to be the case. Discreet, enquiries from other people can usually supply the requisite information. One man whom we took to task for inserting an advertisement wherein appeared the obnoxious phrase that applicants should state salary required replied that his reason was that he was unaware wlie-ther any ol the candidates. would be quite up to the position, and that therefore he did not wish to commit himself. The point, however, is that if no applicant was suitable no one need be selected; or L, on the other hand, it so happened that the most suitable candidate bad not the precise qualifications entitling him to the full salary this fact could be discussed mutually and a lower figure arranged until he could qualify. As far as practicable candidates for appointments should be requested to furnish sufficient detailed information in the pieliminarv application in order that the employer can quickly decide whether an interview is desirable. It, is a good plan, when the selection has been narrowed down, to send an early intimation to those who are not selected for interviews, stating that one of the other applicants is likely to be selected. At the same time copies of testimonials can be returned. In this connection it should always l>e stated in the advertisement that copies ot credentials only should be furnished. undulates for' positions who. despite su.h an injunction, send originals hould receive little consideration. We beiieve that all applicants for positions should be notified when the , acancy has been filled or that some I other candidate is likely to be preferred. The practice of not communicating with unsuccessful candidates is both disheartening, and discourteous. Assuming that six or seven likely persons have been selected for interi iew., a time should be set- aside for i each. We- have found with minor apI pointments that hnlf-an-hour for each candidate suffices for a chat, but with • important vacancies anything up to two hours may tie requisite. At an interview an application can suppleI ment the details furnished in his letter and will usually exhibit characteristics that could never he im- , agined from his letter. In the case of senior officers especially it is a good plan to ask the more likely candidates to call a second time. At the second interview an applicant i<s apt to feel i more at his ease and to speak more freely. It is then that you can sum him up better. . Beware of the man who maligns his i n v. ■ fc o>- past employers. It may be pleasing for you to hear of_ the bad points of one of your competitors, but it is alway s well to remember that the

same applicant may thus speak of you behind your back on some mture occasion. At times it may happen that a particularly good man mis shifted around a good deal because of special circumstances, but, generally speaking, an employee who lias never jemuined with any one employer for any length of time is a goou man to leave alone. | We are always dubious, too, o£ a man | who has a sheaf of testimonials. Our I experience goes to show that such an i individual needs them all. Another 1 class to give a wide berth is the man j-uho on paper and on his own showing jis an absolute wizard. His records are too good to lie true, and a wise employer lets him try his magic in some j othej- quarter. j For senior appointments married I men are generally more suitable than : single men: they have a greater sense ol responsibility and are more likely to Ibe sell led. Again, a man who is • happily married with a family is, , other things, being equal, apt to bo a better choice than a single man or a married man with children. It is alI ways wise to enquire into a man’s I domestic position. Another sheetj anchor is a- home: if a man owns his i own property it- can be counted to him lor thrift and foresight, if not for I righteousness. ! An enquiry as* to what class of read- ; ing an applicant indulges in often | brings forth an illuminating reply. Similarly, an applicant who has taken i up certain courses of study to better : fit him for his job or for a more advanced post is usually worthy of special . consideration. ! The taking of an intelligent interest in civic affairs or in sport, musical, or : other associations may be of assistance f in advancing a. candidate’s business career, but if such activities are apt to be paramount in his mind -he ■ is. not 1 likely to devote the attention that he should to your business. Many a man’s -i popularity in the social firmament has .ruined his commercial prospects.