5 Unspoken Responsibilities of HR Professionals

Warren Myers CMP Recruitment Consultant likes this article by Helen Sabell

The HR department remains a mystery to many. You see them when you first apply, and at every performance review afterwards. But what else do they actually do?
We all know the textbook outline of a HR professional. They search for and recruit appropriate candidates, guide employees and establish policies within the business. Ultimately, they are the gateway between an employee and their employer.
What you didn’t know is that HR professionals are also responsible for establishing and maintaining a healthy workplace culture, dealing with many sensitive situations and being just as good at administration as they are at communication.
HR professionals are the superheroes of the 9-5 workplace, and must learn to juggle all of these different responsibilities in order to drive sustainable growth for the business and enjoy the benefits of being a HR manager
Check out these 5 unspoken responsibilities you may not have known are handled by HR.

1. Enforcing a workplace culture
A HR manager will spend hours at a time carefully researching, crafting and writing up policies that establish workplace culture this could include documents about hours worked, incentive programs for employees or candidate regulations to ensure only the best people are hired for the job.
It is no coincidence that your team is well-suited to each other, or that you are able to bounce ideas back and forth from your professional experiences. While the exact drive behind workplace culture is disputed, it cannot be doubted that HR is a pillar of your organisation. People that are like-minded, motivated and passionate help to facilitate a positive work environment.
It is the role of every great HR professional to search, test and recruit these people for the benefit of the business. Beyond this, the industry must work tirelessly to maintain the kind of workplace culture that will appeal to unique talent.

2. Dealing with tantrums from both sides
If a healthy workplace is the marriage between an organisation and its employees then the saying ‘happy wife happy life’ becomes very much applicable. HR professionals will deal with disputes on a daily basis, some of which could have major business impacts, and must ensure that business needs and employee rights are balanced.
Often a solution will leave one party unhappy – there really is no pleasing everyone – but it is up to the HR department to compromise on this. Creative thinking is a natural attribute of every professional and is the only way to produce a unique solution to workplace problems.
If an executive spits the dummy, then you need to be agile when responding to this. Whilst the correct steps against conflict might seem black and white on paper, every HR professional will understand the importance of improvisation and case-by-case consideration.

3. Juggling personal and career development
It can be tricky for HR professionals to balance their time spent analysing individual competency, development and training needs. It can be even more difficult to then coordinate on-the-job training with inductions, external workshops or supported study. A HR leader will need to not only understand the many ways to train an employee but also, which method will best suit them.
When the expected HR-to-employee ratio is 1:100 it is important that this core industry is not undervalued or undersized. Professionals are responsible for the development of each employee skill set, and this has a direct impact on business growth.
Despite often being criticised for having no clear display of work, it’s fair to say that HR workers have to operate around the clock to keep ahead, and might just be too busy ensuring that everyone else does.

4. Being a lawyer, trainer and mediator
Whether you studied a diploma of HR or graduated one too many years ago from your degree, studying to work in the field gives you a foundation for a great career. What many students often don’t realise is that being a HR professional requires you to be a lawyer, mentor and shoulder to cry on for employees.
HR workers wear many different hats. They have to find a way to balance offering advice on legal contracts with developing employee talent, and playing the part of the middle-man during conflicts. That is no short order for the workplace, but completely necessary for building trust between the business and employees.

5. Keeping talent from straying
Congratulations! You’ve sourced the candidate, interviewed and hired them! They’re being trained to excel in their field and all in a day’s work. Right? Not even close. For HR professionals, the work doesn’t stop just because an employee is comfortable because chances are they won’t stay that way.
In an age of job-hopping and constant career upheavals, it is crucial for HR professionals to devise an incentive good enough to keep unique talent from straying. If John decides he would like a pay rise and his performance is at the point of invaluable, then it is your job to facilitate this for him.
Knowing how to retain talent is a fundamental role of the HR industry and no easy task. An in-depth understanding of ambition and expectation is only the beginning. A combination of great workplace culture, healthy employee relations, room for promotion and the right support system is needed to keep your office all smiles.
 
Warren Myers CMP Recruitment Consultant likes this article by Helen Sabell

5 Tips For Getting Into Bed With A Recruiter And Enjoying It

Warren Myers CMP Recruitment Consultant like this article by Paul Slezak

Recruiters aren’t selling a product that is made to a prototype that can be mass produced and have bells and whistles added to it at will.
We are people recruiting people for people. And people are the most unpredictable animals on the planet so it goes to reason that with this many people in the equation, there are times when things don’t quite go according to plan.
It might be that the brief gets changed along the way or that the fabulous candidate gets an offer of a trip to Italy around the time they are due to start their new job. It could be any number of reasons why a recruitment project gets off track.
Hey, it might even be that the recruiter isn’t much chop! But in my 20-odd years recruiting I can count on one hand the times the recruiter wasn’t held responsible. Now, anyone with even a slim grasp on statistics knows this couldn’t be true.
A recruitment assignment, like all brief encounters (which may or may not go on to become an ongoing relationship) is all about the expectations of each party.
In the recruitment world, the client expects that the recruiter knows what they are looking for in a candidate and where to source that person. At the same time the recruiter expects the client has told them everything they need to know and given them an accurate brief. Meanwhile the candidates expect they are being given accurate information about the role, company culture, salary and so on.
Sometimes the planets align, everyone’s expectations are met and “happily ever after” ensues. But sometimes it all ends in tears with someone left disappointed and bewildered.
I’ve completed over 1000 recruitment assignments in my career, from office support staff through to CEOs. For each assignment I make a note of what the key contributors were to the outcome, whether it was a successful one or not and there are five that appear on my list with regularity.
So, here are my 5 key tips for enjoying the recruitment ride and feeling good at the end of it.

1. Answer our questions – Recruiters are not mind readers
I know some recruiters who have magical powers. I even have them from time to time. We can tie a bunch of seemingly unlikely candidates together into a pretty attractive shortlist, we can almost tele-transport candidates to an interview in less time than it takes to make a cup of coffee and we can pull rabbits out of hats just when you think the show’s over. But one thing most of us can’t do very well is read minds. That’s why we ask lots of questions (or at least should do!).
We love it when you overload us with information in response to our seemingly unending questions. It helps us get the most accurate possible assessment of your current situation and what you are looking for. It also helps us clearly understand what the “wish list” and “deal breakers” are. This depth of understanding will make the experience much more productive, efficient and enjoyable for everyone.

2. Provide us with a current/accurate job description
Too often, unmet expectations are just a result of people talking at cross-purposes. And cross-purposes take on a whole life of their own when it comes to job descriptions. Recruiters use job descriptions as a road map to the happy place of fulfilment so we need to be able to trust the signs.
Making sure the job description you provide is current and accurately represents the skills and experience you are looking for will make your relationship with your recruiter one that is based in honesty, transparency and shared purpose.

3. Respond to our phone messages and emails
Like any relationship, one of the major contributors to a successful recruitment outcome is communication; between recruiter, client and candidates. The better the communication the faster and higher quality the outcome.
Put simply, we need your feedback.
While a “no, not suitable” text/voice message or email is better than nothing, the gold lies in the “why”. Understanding why a candidate we have presented isn’t suitable enables us to work in partnership with you to recalibrate the selection process (think accurate job description, information about organisational culture, wish lists and deal breakers here) to effectively and efficiently meet your specific and unique needs.

4. Schedule interviews in realistic time frames
As a recruiter, our job is to find you the very best candidate possible for your role. In the market it is highly likely that person already has a job. Coordinating interviews with candidates requires us to be mindful and respectful of their current employment relationship (put yourself in the employer’s shoes for a moment) and this sometimes means a candidate needs at least 24 hours’ notice to arrange the time off for an interview with you.
And then there are the candidates who want to do some research in preparation of their time with you.
Being reasonable when scheduling candidate interviews will improve your chances of always having the very best candidates turn up.

5. Remember we have lives too
Just like you, recruiters have families, hobbies and fabulously interesting household duties to do outside working hours. OK, so the household duties aren’t that important but members of our family think they are!
While we all understand that when it comes to recruitment you need to “strike while the iron’s hot” (hmm…does that constitute household duties?), calling us at 7.00am or 11.00pm because that works better for you doesn’t advance the relationship in a healthy way. And sending a text at 6.30am asking why I haven’t responded to the voicemail you left at 11.00pm the night before about a candidate you want to interview at 8.30am today is likely to elicit a most unhealthy response! You think I’m joking? Sadly not – this happened just last week.

Partnering with a recruiter involves respecting each other by communicating at reasonable times. This sends the message that we are business partners rather than a 24/7 emergency plumbing service.
And just in case you were wondering, we understand the responsibility we have to provide these same five in return!
It’s not fair that one person gets to hog the sheets!

Think about the above next time you were thinking about getting into bed with a
Recruiter and enjoying it.

Till next time,

Warren Myers
CMP Recruitment Consultant
[email protected]

In Search for a Young Credit Professional
Another blast from the past back again to 2003 which was the last time Western Australia Won the National Young Credit Professional Award hosted by the Australian Institute of Credit Management.
It is a very prestige’s award and I urge all under 30’s people involved in the Credit Management, Insolvency, Legal, Banking and Finance or other Industry to check it out or managers to urge your Credit Rock Star to enter.
You don’t have to be a member of the AICM to enter.

The Last National Winner from WA (as seen in the photo) was from an Insolvency Firm and the win moved her career along nicely.

CMP Recruitment Specialist core business is Credit Recruitment and have been involved with the awards in one way or another for many years and recommend it highly for self- improvement and career opportunities.

I my self was at the 2003 National Young Credit Professional Award which was held at Burswood Casino Hotel and was a great night the night of nights for the Credit Industry and was topped off with the WA entrant winning.

Of course to compete at the national award you need to enter at State level, Win the State Title then you will be on your way to the 2016 National Awards to go up against the finalist from the other states.
I am known to all the state winners since 2003 and the feedback after the nationals was always excellent and they had an awesome time totally enjoyed the experience and their career has moved upward since for the better.   
      
If you would like to register with CMP for self-development information, career pathway opportunities and receive the CMP Newsletter/Blog go to Register with CMP  and make the request.

Or if you are a manager and would like to discuss Professional Credit staff for your company go to CMP Recruitment Services and make an enquiry or phone direct on Phone: 0408911162 or Office 9228 3300.