opinions split on hr recruitment process in local poll
- HR’s most influential person says important processes should stay in-house
- Middle East HR Summit commissions research ahead of November 4th event
According to research commissioned by IIR, the organizers of the forthcoming Middle East HR Summit, to be held in Dubai next month, organizational opinions are split 50/50 when it comes to recruiting and whether it is makes better long-term sense to commission specialist agencies or to use in-house HR departments when scouting for key staff.
The ‘snap poll’ research conducted ahead of the HR Summit, which kicks off on November 4th, reveals that 53 per cent believe the selection process should be outsourced to a recruitment agency. Meanwhile, 47 per cent believe the process should be sourced in-house and that HR Managers should rely on internal strengths to recruit the ‘right fit’ personnel for a given organization.
The research was conducted with senior management and HR Managers and posed the question: “Is it more effective to recruit for important positions by using out-of-house recruitment agencies or in-house capabilities?” The responses varied but there was a clearly defined split suggesting that the jury is still out when it comes to recruiting.
“When I recruit we prefer to use an agency. Nowadays there are more specific recruitment agencies tailored to different industries. That makes recruiting for mid and low level positions very easy, which in turn helps free up time to focus on strengthening internally,” says one HR Manager.
“I much prefer to recruit through our own resources. This allows me to make sure I have the absolute perfect fit for my organization in which no recruitment agency can. I know the organizational dynamic and I know who would be a best fit so it is better to keep the process in-house,” says a Director in Charge.
Meanwhile, Dave Ulrich, the Most Influential Person in Human Resources, according to HR Magazine 2006, believes that the process of outsourcing for recruitment purposes can work until a certain point but, beyond that, it is important to tap in to in-house capabilities.
“In principle, companies can outsource transactions where they don’t want to differentiate from competitors because the outside vendor is likely to sell services to other firms, including competitors. However, the more serious part of recruiting that deals with setting standards, sourcing uniquely qualified talent, securing that talent and orienting – this should not be left to someone outside the organization,” explains Ulrich.
Dave Ulrich is a key attraction to the forthcoming Middle East HR Summit, which will be held in Abu Dhabi’s National Exhibition Centre. Apart from being labeled as the Most Influential Person in HR, he has consulted numerous multinational corporations across the globe. Ulrich highlights a number of organizations that are the ultimate practitioners of HR.
“When I benchmark leading HR Departments, a number of companies come to mind; Unilever, Pepsi, Shell, General Electric, Nokia and clearly dozens of companies I haven’t mentioned.”
He also emphasizes that focusing on creating value for all stakeholders is crucial to being a successful HR department – a value proposition for all.
“Customers should be satisfied with their relationship with the firm. Investors should be more confident in future earnings. Community leaders should be delighted with the reputation of the firm on social issues. Each of these stakeholders should receive value from HR,” says Ulrich.
Dave Ulrich will host a Pre-Summit Guru Day in which he will discuss “What’s Next For HR?” and will unravel how HR can create value for multiple stakeholders.
Other contributors at this year’s Middle East HR Summit, which runs from 4 – 8 November, include Stephen Kelly, BBC; Steve Sonsino of the London Business School; and Vicky Wright, President of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD).
This year also sees the launch of the inaugural Najah Exhibition, which is set to become the most comprehensive Education, Training and Careers Exhibition to be held in the United Arab Emirates. The Najah Exhibition will also run from 4th to 6th November at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and with a variety functions from careers advice to job profiling, the exhibition is destined to become an annual landmark event.
Sponsorship for the event is also booming with a number of key sponsors, such as the SP Jain Center of Management, Mawaride, ORC Worldwide, Grafton Recruitment, Spengler Fox, Source, Career MidEast, Focus Learning, Gulf Talent, Bayt, and Human Assets all supporting the event.
