A Word About Graded Registration
April 29, 2009 @ How to Manage a Camel - Project Management and Recruitment from mickh
Anyone visiting the registration pages of Arras People in the last few months would have noticed a distinct change in our approach. The industry standard model for anyone wishing to join a recruitment database is to upload their details and wait for the calls to come.
Arras People have never been an organization to merely follow the herd (or is it flock?) and decided that a more managed approach was called for. The problem with an ‘open’ database is that there tends to be no feedback; candidates’ expectations are not managed.
Our own experience suggests that around half of CVs submitted are not up to standard. To explore this further it should be remembered that we are looking for project management experience commensurate with salary/rate expectations defined in a well presented professional CV.
A look at the registrants' applications to Arras People for the 1st Quarter of 2009
Changing to a process where candidates ‘Apply for Registration’ immediately manages expectations. Assessment of applications is undertaken daily with all candidates being informed of our decision.
The last quarter reinforced our perceived wisdom with just less than half of all applicants being accepted onto the database. So what of those being rejected?
A large percentage of these are categorized as grade 3, which is to say that the CV either does not adequately present project management abilities and/or salary expectations are not supported by the evidence (i.e the details within the CV). The evidence suggests that more project management professionals are being attracted to register but equally are less able to present a coherent case; this is an increasing trend judging by the evidence.
A glance at the number of Grade 3 Applications in the 1st Quarter.
Something that candidates are frequently surprised about is that all Arras People consultants come from a project management background. This professional knowledge is utilized when assessing CVs and whilst we can make assumptions about people’s abilities equally we are able to identify where gaps are present.
In a competitive market only those that are able to properly demonstrate their skills, experience and value will be successful in the job market. This is reinforced by a recent survey by iProfile which found that:
“three quarters (73%) of recruiters have rejected candidates for interviews due to vague CVs with an absence of relevant achievements. And nearly a quarter (24%) said applicants could demand a pay increase of 15% if they sold their existing achievements on CVs more effectively”.
This is a message we relay daily to rejected candidates. The good news seems to be that those sufficiently motivated to call are equally motivated to make the necessary changes and subsequently be accepted upon resubmission.
The grading process is conducted on all applications not just those applying for registration. The trend here is very consistent with a 44% accept and 56% reject ratio. Interestingly for permanent registrations we do get a much higher proportion of rejects (average 66%) which is much closer to the figure quoted by the iProfile research.
The approach being taken is not designed to be exclusive or discriminatory but rather a wake up call for the project management profession. Working towards a database of candidates that meet minimum requirements, Arras People can be confident that they are only handling acceptable candidates ensuring clients receive a prompt and professional service. Candidates equally benefit from the service; what can be worse than continually submitting a below par performance and not knowing. The benefit for the profession is a raising of standards where a common language is used and all expectations are managed.
Reference
iProile, 2009, The Recession Survival Guide for Jobseekers and Jobkeepers, iProfile, February.
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