In this fast-paced and competitive world, it is absolutely important to ensure the right combination with regards to your workforce. An idealistic situation would be when you have the Right person doing the Right Job at the Right Time in the Right Position. Ofcourse, it’s easier said than done, especially when one is faced with the challenges that is typical of a growing economy – limited talent pool and high salaries. At this stage, it looks like it’s a battle of Demand and Supply. So what does the Hiring Manager do? This is what I call the Hiring Manager’s Dilemma.
Today, HR Professionals are looked at as Business Partners and hence there is always the number game:
- How many vacancies?
- Turnaround Time?
- Productivity Ratios?
The bottom-line, what is the Return on the Organisation’s Investment in the specific workforce? In all of this the Manager starts to weigh Fresh Graduates to Experienced Professionals, Training versus Time to Market, Market dominance versus Market sustenance and much more.
Very often the Hiring Manager would fall prey to the vicious circle, where imbalance in salaries versus experience comes to light. Let us look at each of these dilemmas in depth.
1. Fresh Graduates versus Experience:
If Fresh graduates were to be hired, it would be a good solution provided; you have enough bench strength to weed of the non-performers at regular intervals. Secondly one would have to remember that Fresh Graduates do not stay fresh all through their career and hence they should be evaluated on different yard sticks as they move along. The one mistake Hiring Managers tend to make is that they tend to get carried away by such low cost resources and as a result they lose the bigger picture of having the experienced as well.
2. Training versus Time to Market:
A new recruit should always be called a new recruit irrespective of their past experience. However, the readiness of them stepping onto the field and their productivity should be the only concern of the Hiring Manager. Whether to have an employee train on the job? Or have those ready-made like most other resources these days? It is often said that the cost of prevention is lesser when compared to damage control and hence the dilemma - Trained or To be trained. Who should be hired?
3. Market dominance versus Market sustenance:
Depending on the Industry and the current position of the organisation in its market place, the hiring manager could be challenged. Normally, when the organisation is aggressively looking out to capture new Markets and widen their footprint, the stronger and level-headed workforce become the need of the hour and scope for younger talent could only arise in a market sustenance position.
Through the last decade, it has been seen that when a mix of fresh talent is infused at regular intervals, there would be positive signs of growth. There are many advantages and that is why this kind of approach may bring a smile on all concerned. The Hiring Manager is happy – Business continuity is ensured, The HR team is happy as attrition levels would be under control, The Organisation would be satisfied for the new opportunities it would offer to the Youth and aggression it would bring with experienced talent.
