Time and the psychological contract

The reason I believe this is that the product we sell has thoughts, feelings, opinions, desires, expectations and anxieties. Our clients are pretty much the same except their expectations are different and come from a position of power and not, in some cases, from desperation.

Over the years I have been in this industry I have noticed that the delays in the recruitment process have been stretched to breaking point. The recruiter now receives an electronic job spec with little or no contact to the line manager to establish the real need and get detail around culture fit etc. Added to this, the job spec is branded as urgent by the HR manager who is under pressure from the hiring manager. This urgent, not really thorough, opportunity is then communicated to expectant candidates looking for a change.

Cvs are then flashed around, not always a match due to insufficient information or lack of understanding, and the expectant candidate has his or her expectations raised and the beginning of a "psychological contract" is established. The delayed time between cv sent and the interview and between interview and offer of employment creates uncertainty and puts doubt in the mind of the potential employee.

Risk of raising false expectations

During the recruitment process, the employer and interviewee will discuss what they each can offer in the prospective relationship. If agreement is reached, most employers will impose a standard form contract, leaving the detail of the employee's duties to be clarified "on the job".

But some of the initial statements, no matter how informal and imprecise, may later be remembered as promises and give rise to expectations. Whether they are incorporated into the parallel psychological contract will depend on whether both parties believe that they should be treated as part of the relationship. The better organised employers are careful to document offers to reduce the risk of raising false expectations followed by disappointment.

Setting up the interview is now more like moving pieces on a chess board than setting up a meeting and getting on with it. Again delays due to travel, public holidays, leave and many other excuses influence the decision-making of a potential employee, leading them to re-examine the reasons to leave their current employ.

This, I believe, adds to the high level of retention in the South African market, as mentioned in the 13th Antal International Global Survey on hiring and firing needs, as well as the perception of a higher skills shortage than there actually is.

The time that it is taking and the way companies are approaching their recruitment has to change; speed it up, sell the opportunity and your company. Excite and commit to potential employees. Treat them like you treat your clients and you will reap the rewards in the way your clients are treated in the future.