Shortlists are Stupid!
Craig Watson
Talent Advisory | Podcaster | Speaker | Consultant | Board Advisor/Director | Author | Loves to Laugh
It’s been seven hours and 15 days (and 4 months and 3 years) since I took my blog away. But I feel compelled to have a rant… why? There has been a monumental shift in the local employment market. The Tech sector is out of control… likewise Construction… Health… Aged Care… Fin Services etc. etc. etc.
Basically, negative migration, no long-term tourism, and no international students has smashed the market. Companies are hiring, Talent Acquisition Teams and recruitment businesses are under the pump, salaries are surging, and trying to attract candidates is becoming harder than getting a timely decision from my wife at the McDonalds drive-through.
But there is something that is really getting on my goat (who comes up with sayings like that?). And that is unrealistic Hiring Manager expectations – particularly the stupid concept of the Shortlist… Don’t get me started. Too late… I’m off.
Candidates are a precious, precious commodity right now. The good ones are starting to be looked after by their employers and there’s the odd ‘not so good one’ still floating from job to job. Salary expectations are rising faster than Dogecoin on the crypto-currency market. The market demands that we move fast… real fast. And to me, that marks the end of the candidate shortlist. I hear some of you say, ‘But Craig… surely you don’t mean for Executive roles?’ My reply… ‘Maybe… maybe not… I don’t know, but I’m not talking about the less than 2% of opportunities in the market. I’m talking about the majority of day-to-day recruitment.’
Hand’s up if you’ve had the following interaction…?
‘So Craig I really like Rachel. She’s got the right skills and experience and she would fit perfectly into our culture. I just want to see a couple more candidates before I make a decision…’ Spare me.
Facts are people we are the experts in the recruitment function. You, better than any Hiring Manager, know what the market is doing. It’s time to step up and consult back. It’s time you educated Hiring Managers in the subtle art of making a bloody decision. And that decision is not based on waiting on a comparison. Assess the candidate in front of you against the needs of the role. If they meet/exceed those needs – hire them.
Make no mistake the ‘War for Talent' is real and is only going to get worse. It’s time you all made a choice. Are you a submissive, or are you able to use your industry knowledge to consult up the chain?
Do you want to come home from work every night stressed about your Hiring Manager’s unrealistic expectations or do you want to take control of the processes you are the expert in?
It’s time to step up. Refuse to provide a shortlist. If candidates are lost due to elongated processes call them out. Start the revolution today! Kill the Shortlist… because it is killing you!
Craig Watson
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3yMegan Watson (she/her) is this a fair representation of your McDonald's drive through skills..... I think Not. I have been at the drive thru with Craig Watson, and no shortlist needed when you never change what you order.
Strategic HR Leader | Largescale Transformations | Technology Optimization & Implementation | AI and Automation | Talent Strategy | People Experience | Talent Attraction | Project Management | MBA Executive | ❤️ Tennis
3yOn reading the heading I was thinking has he gone off the rails wanting to do away with shortlists? But then on reading your blog I tend to agree that some roles do require moving decisively and quickly. Particularly in our present TA market. But on the flip side as a people leader and hiring manager at times it is genuinely challenging to decide 1 from 1.
Talent & workforce expert - strategy, leadership, operating model, technology, experience | Skills & Skills-based organisations researcher | Writer | Speaker | Founder & CEO, TQSolutions
3yMy colleague Tim Way at The Career Conversation is going to be presenting a masterclass at a global conference in June and his topic is essentially "why 60% is good enough". He is going to be talking about Internal Mobility in particular where you want to stretch and grow your people but in the labour markets you are talking about 60%, 70% match for external hires is good enough and you should hire. There is no luxury of choice in a talent skill short market, some hiring managers need a reality check. The purple unicorns are the only people with the luxury of choice and its your brand and opportunity they will be assessing.
Employer Brand Enthusiast - Helping organisations unlock hidden talent pools through Authentic Employee Stories | Recruitment Marketing | Talent Attraction
3yI'm going to challenge you here and question why does it have to be one or the other Craig Watson, this is where tech can help solve problems like this. If you were to use Alcami Interactive in this example the recruiter could have video interviewed the most promising candidates and then submitted the best 3-5 through to the hiring manager to review then and there, back-to-back. That way the hiring manager feels like they've seen a good sample of the current job seekers but there's also been no delay and thus risking the top candidates getting snapped up elsewhere whilst they delay.
Senior Consultant @ Options Consulting Group | Executive Search
3yWell said