Recruitment is a job, not a favor.

Recruitment is a job, not a favor

It was my first job after post-graduation in Human Resource Management. It was a small, family-run office. My boss kept tapping on my google search history to see if I was applying to some other job or searching for other opportunities.

I had no clue about this until one day, he called me into his office to ask me why I am reading cosmopolitan on my system. I told him that what I do during my lunch breaks and tea breaks is none of his business. I also told him that going behind my back and looking into my search history is a jerk move. He fired me.

Within months I got an awesome job in an MNC. Well, everything does happen for a reason.

But over these many years of working as an HR, what I have come to notice is that we HR think of ourselves as great souls who are connecting people with their dream jobs. But that is not even half true.

In this day and age, no one really has the guts to aim for their dream job or wait patiently to get to their dream job. Getting a job is more for the sake of money, family conditions, societal pressures etc. and less for their personal satisfaction.

Recruiters and employers may feel like they are doing a huge favor by hiring a candidate but the same thing is true for the vice versa. While there are 20 candidates in line for a job you post, only 3 or 4 of them may be absolutely suitable for the job in hand. At the same time, it is also true that each of these best candidates keeps a minimum of 3 to 4 other job opportunities in their kitty! Such is the condition of the market at present.

So, we should try not to think so great of ourselves because, at the end of the day, there is a need and we are meeting it, that is all!

At the same time, as an HR or employer, we should invest our time and energy on keeping the employees that are already working for our organization. Appreciate the employees that are doing well and train the employees that are not. Moreover, before firing an employee, analyze the reason for firing them. Make sure that you have done everything possible to encourage and empower the employee. Try to be 200% sure that we are not on the losing side of the deal.

Because we need to clearly understand the fact that the chances of them getting a better job is much higher than the chances of us getting a loyal and responsible candidate!

XOXO Kani.