Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Q&A #3: Dr. Charles Handler


This is the third in a series of Q&As I'm doing with thought leaders in the area of recruitment and selection.

This edition features Dr. Charles Handler, founder and president of Rocket-Hire, a consulting firm "dedicated to helping organizations use technology and best practices to build effective, legally sound employee selection systems." Dr. Handler is also very active professionally and is a frequent contributor to ERE.

See if you can spot the similarities between Dr. Handler's responses and those of the previous two Q&As...

(Note: as usual, links are provided by yours truly)

BB: What do you think are the primary recruitment/assessment issues that employers are struggling with today?

CH: I believe that the primary issue being faced is understanding how to find applicants with the traits desired by the organization and how to keep them. There is a shortage of talent and persons do not stay in jobs as long as they used to. So, finding folks who have what it takes and keeping them long enough so they can provide a contribution is very difficult.

BB: What is an example of an innovative or creative recruitment/assessment practice that you've seen recently?

CH: Thinking about using virtual worlds such as Second Life as venues for employment branding and recruiting is the most interesting thing I have seen done as of late.

BB: What is an area of research that you think deserves increased attention?

CH: Moving beyond thinking about validating tests towards a broader viewpoint that takes into consideration looking at relationships in data collected as part of the recruitment/hiring process and key organizational outcomes. A broad focus on business intelligence is going to be key for understanding the value of hiring in terms of organizational goals and outcomes.

BB: As someone who has their own consulting business, have you noticed any changes or patterns in the types of requests you're getting from clients?

CH: No, just more interest in using assessment and using it correctly.

BB: Have you read any books or articles lately that you would recommend to the professional community?

CH: The tipping point. Cant recall the author's name but it was a good one.

BB: Is there anything else you think recruiters/assessment professionals should be focused on right now?

CH: Doing it right!!! Taking the time to understand key performance drivers before choosing an assessment, using good quality assessments, and measuring the impact they have on key outcomes. These are the basics and they are still not being given the attention they deserve.

Thank you Dr. Handler!

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