Why put together a full recruitment brief?

It acts as an agenda for the recruitment process by making all concerned think carefully about: Why recruit? What is the job all about? What sort of person will fit and be successful in the role? How will the job interface with the rest of the organisation?

It provides a properly thought out means of communicating the role to potential candidates, ensuring that they are fully informed so that there’s less risk of misunderstanding, saving time in the recruitment process, and ensuring consistency of message.

Who should be involved?

Contributions should come from the immediate Line Manager/Director, Human Resources (where available), the Consultant handling the recruitment assignment (when a consultant is involved), and, ideally, other key individuals who have a strong interest in the role. Taking time and care in the preparation ensures that there is a common goal and a clear “buy-in” from all involved in the process.

What is the consultant’s role?

Even though the recruiting organisation may have done a fair amount of thinking and preparation before calling in a consultant to help, there are benefits from involving the consultant early in the process. Make use of their experience of the recruitment process and of recruiting for similar roles to:

• Structure the briefing process; advise on the recruitment process;
• Ask the difficult/simple questions that you may not have considered;
• Provide a ‘template’ for the particular role (though definitely not a standard brief or job description, because there is no such thing!);
• Advise on organisational structure, potential sources of candidates, problems in the process, and on package issues;
• Use their professional skills and experience to draft the brief in full.

A Typical Recruitment Brief

A typical Recruitment Brief covers the following:

• Company Profile
• Job Description
• Candidate Profile
• Remuneration & other benefits
• Recruitment & Selection Process.

Company Profile

Depending on the assignment’s level of confidentiality, most of the points below could be included:

• Group/Company ownership and structure plus relevant history.
• The products or services offered (a general overview is sufficient).
• The markets served by the organisation.
• The market positioning (particularly relevant if the company is a market leader or is improving its market position).
• Turnover/revenue and, ideally, profit performance.
• Number of employees (if a multinational, include number of employees in the UK) and the management structure.
• Geographical locations (if the company has a large number of sites, main offices will be enough), and where the role is based.
• Positive PR about the company e.g. awards, export achievements, recent major investment, or growth performance.
• Positive future plans and developments.
• Website address – for further candidate follow-up.

Additional points could include reference to the organisation’s culture/style and career development opportunities, although the latter shouldn’t be over stated. Double-check all data before “going to print” as inaccuracies and overselling may mislead candidates resulting in potential disappointment and loss of trust.

Job Description

Even if you have an existing job description, or one for a similar role, resist the temptation to cut corners by just copying it. Roles change over time, so critically examine any existing document before using it again. The following areas would feature in a typical job description:

• The job title should be simple, unambiguous and relevant to the role. Avoid long hybrid job titles that may be meaningless to candidates.
• Provide an organisation chart showing reporting structures by job title. If this is unavailable, then state who the person will report to, which functions report in and the total number of people in the department.
• A concise paragraph stating the overall objective of the role so that candidates can gain a clear understanding of why the role exists.
• Explain the responsibilities/accountabilities of the role. If it’s a new position, ‘brainstorm’ as many aspects of the role as possible, then group the activities together to develop key areas of responsibility/accountability; or list the key activities in the reporting departments/function; and/or identify the individual targets and key objectives associated with the role; and it may be helpful to involve an experienced consultant who can provide clarity and direction.

Candidate Profile

The key message here is to set aside assumptions and preconceptions, and to keep an open mind. So:

• Don’t restrict the potential pool of candidates by narrow thinking – set out a range of qualities appropriate to the role, but then define the key characteristics that will differentiate the best candidates – the ‘must-haves’.
• Avoid recruiting in the mould of a previous jobholder unless the reasons for this have been fully evaluated and justified.
• Think ahead – develop a profile so that it’ll provide a meaningful and effective format for candidate selection and interview structure.

There is no standard format to the presentation of this section, but the profile could be set out under the following suggested headings:

Qualifications/Professional Memberships – of course some jobs require recognised qualifications, and you might specify graduate level qualifications to ensure candidates have a level of intellectual rigour, but don’t overstate the qualifications required.

Experience/Background – this section should define, as specifically as possible, the experience that candidates must have in order to do the job - for example, numbers managed, types of team managed, multi-site experience, particular market knowledge, specific plant/processes, profit & loss responsibility, international sales experience, or whatever - and may then add other desirable aspects of their backgrounds.

Personal Qualities/Characteristics/Traits/Competencies - this is, potentially, a complex area, and one where some organisations may already have sophisticated competency profiling against particular roles. It’s also one where the help of a professional recruitment consultant can really add value. Some general guidelines follow:

• Do focus on this specific role. It isn’t enough to just repeat the list of characteristics that you used last time you were recruiting.
• Do combine job specific items with those key qualities that will ensure that candidates fit your company culture.
• Just using generic, one-word descriptions is not enough e.g. ‘leadership skills’ could incorporate all sorts of things – coaching & mentoring, change management, strong direction, tough approach to discipline – not all of which are relevant to your specific needs.
• Where possible, use your knowledge of previous job-holders – what differentiated those who did well and those who didn’t. Otherwise, try benchmarking through discussion with colleagues or other contacts.
• An experienced recruitment consultant should have a ‘bank’ of well-defined competencies on which to draw in order to help you put together an effective document.

Of course, any statements of requirements must comply with relevant legislation regarding race or sex or age discrimination.

Remuneration & Benefits Package

This section would typically include the following:

Salary - Where the salary is flexible this can be kept confidential with details to be provided at interview, but ideally, you should have a clear understanding of where the salary fits in the structure and what the boundaries are so that there are no misunderstandings.

Bonus- State how these are structured i.e. related to company performance, related to group or division performance, related to personal performance.

Car or Car Allowance - What level of car is provided? Is it fully expensed? If a car is not provided, is a car allowance available?

Pension – An outline of the pension scheme is sufficient at this stage.

Medical Insurance - If private medical insurance is offered, is it for the employee, subsidised for family, or full cover?

Holidays

Other Benefits - May include:

• critical illness cover
• insurance (death in service benefits)
• discounts on company products or services (e.g. in the travel industry and financial services)
• relocation assistance – what this covers and any “claw back” clauses.

Notice Period – Clear and unambiguous

Recruitment & Selection Process

A statement of the process being followed – recruitment methods, significant dates and milestones, overall timescale, who is involved, and so on – is helpful for everyone. For example, if an assessment centre is to be part of the process then candidates should be forewarned; if the process is likely to take 2-3 months, or a number of interviews is involved including site visits, then this information should also be included.

Finally, when the assignment involves Executive Search, this section can include an assurance that the candidates’ details will not be forwarded to a client, or references taken up, without their express permission.