News & Insights
Keep recruitment process “real” not “reality”
Nick Poole, employment law specialist at Darlington law firm Latimer Hinks has warned local companies not to use reality television shows, such as the Apprentice, as the model for their recruitment procedures.
Recent media reports suggest that iFinda Group Ltd hired its new managing director following a six-week period during which 22 applicants were issued with a number of tasks and challenges. Each week several candidates were fired from the recruitment process.
Nick believes that this type of selection is not an appropriate way forward or a suitable way to treat people. I think that employers should think long and hard before turning recruitment into a reality game show. Employees are not performing poodles and should not be treated as such.
Whilst it is important that people with the right mix of skills are appointed, there are better and more appropriate ways of achieving this. Job applicants at BQ have recently been reported as being asked to perform dance routines at interview. Nick said: These could be seen as a creative and innovative way of selecting suitable candidates for a job and ascertaining if potential employees will fit into the companys culture.
However, the reverse side is that, in addition to applicants feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable by the requests made of them, potentially excellent employees are alienated.
What makes popular television does not necessarily transfer into the real workplace.
