The art of recruitment

Courtesy- Ramiya Bhas, TNN

Recruitment, today, certainly isn’t an easy process. Today, recruiting a potential employee means a whole lot more than striking off points on a checklist. Gone are the days when recruiting experts and HR executives would follow an exhaustive approach for evaluating candidate’s competencies. Taking into account the infinite number of resumes HR receives today, its likely that he/she might not necessarily pay attention to how the resume is put together.

Agreed, a resume is the first point of contact between a recruiter and a potential employee, but questions like does the resume have a strong professional appearance?, is it properly indented?, does it have a detailed account of the candidates educational qualifications, starting right from his/her SSC scores?, etc. might not figure on the top of a recruiters priority list today.

 
Extracurricular activities

A good resume should speak about a candidates approach to work and most importantly, how well candidates understand the broader implications of their work.

Besides academic specifications and work experience, most hiring managers will confirm that extra-curricular experience, in any form, can be a powerful tool as skills developed through activities involving social work, volunteer work, sports, music, debates, arts etc. can play a vital role when the time comes to apply for jobs, thus giving a candidate an edge over his/her contemporaries, in the interview process.

Afterall, knowledge and experience gained in any form- be it in a professional setting or a personal one, can never go waste. It might be unfair to assume that because a candidate has customer service experience that he/she will be a good customer care executive. Afterall, dealing with client complaints can give the most experienced customer care executive a tough time but someone with an experience of doing volunteer work for a political party might have the right mix of subtle shrewdness and good persuasiveness, right?

Unlike academic degrees, knowledge from extracurricular activities is not earned, but learned. A HR manager can be impressed with a candidate associated with a NGO because its always admirable to have an employee onboard whos socially active and a good peoples person or it can also be intelligent to have an national level football player in ones swing for he/she may be a good sport and target-driven.

Vikram Karayi, Senior Vice President- HR, Steria India explains, A candidates resume would be considered invaluable if the candidate has no experience in such activities. Evidence of extra-curricular activity like working with an NGO gives more weightage to the candidates resume.

Valuable qualities

Vikram V Kallianpur, Director - HR, Virtusa Corporation adds, Extracurricular activities help build and foster qualities like teamwork, self-awareness , adaptability, leadership and most importantly, it reveals an individuals drive to succeed and his/her ability to face challenges head on.

Bikram Dasgupta, Chairman and CEO, Globsyn Group says that hiring candidates on the basis of his/her involvement with an extra-curricular activity can prove to be an effective hiring tool, adding, The job function for which a prospective candidate is being hired becomes the defining feature. For instance, in our organisation, if one is recruiting for a core sales function, we look at the candidates vivacity, extrovertness, ability to connect to people, motivation to win etc, which to a large measure, can be judged by the candidates participation in extra-curricular activities."

" On the other end of the scale, if we are recruiting for a core research driven function, more weightage would be given to the academic credentials that a candidate brings to the table.

The leading edge

A candidate with a genuine extracurricular experience is multi-dimensional , practical, and application- oriented and probably, has emotional intelligence that helps him deal with crisis, in a tactful manner. They provide insights about the person and give us a clue to who he/she really is and what makes him/her tick, says Rajeshwar Upadhyay, Director, Par Excellance.

A candidate having exposure to extracurricular activities indicates that he/she is sensitive, has the ability to work with people, has the perseverance in tracking issues to closures, owns up responsibility, has handled challenging situations, and is rational in expectation. In an increasingly interdependent and team working environment, these traits play a more important role than mere academics or for that matter, higher IQ, opines Ramanand Padiyar, Global Head  HR, Kale Consultants Ltd.

The initial impression

Arun Rao, VP-HR , Applabs says that these secondary skills help build relationships within the organisation and it helps build future leaders as these people have gone beyond their expectations and done something consciously, in an endeavour to attain higher goals. “For a crucial role when it comes down to deciding between equally qualified candidates, we feel a person with strong academic qualifications and good extra-curricular activities has the potential to become a leader,” Kallianpur explains.

So the question here arises is whether having extracurricular activities on a candidates resume actually helps him/her get a job. Though experts say that it does not guarantee top positions, they are given preferences at certain entry-level jobs. Padiyar says that very often, these experiences help the employee work in the candidates favour. These extracurricular activities set a candidate apart from his/her peers. The mention of extracurricular activities does play an important role in forming the initial impression of the candidate,adds Padiyar.

Hiring managers, today, are adopting unconventional ways of seeking quality talent and if you were a state level football champion in your teens, do not forget to mention that in your resume!