Matchmaking under uncertainty: how hiring criteria and requirements in professional work are co-created

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of the study is to understand how the hiring process develops in cases where there are no explicit or formal requirements. How do implicit and informal criteria and requirements impact the process of selecting the right candidate?Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach was employed through the use of semi-structured interviews with 47 external recruitment consultants in the south of England.FindingsIn contrast to what is assumed in mainstream Human Resource Management literature, employers do not rely on a comprehensive implicit understanding of what is needed in cases where there are no explicit criteria and requirements. Instead, high uncertainty makes the development of criteria and requirements incremental and negotiable but also problematic. The analysis shows that three mechanisms compensate for the lack of certainty in the hiring process. First, interviews with applicants shape how the hiring criteria develop. Second, market signals of what is available in the labour market help construct the criteria and requirements. Third, criteria and requirements are interpreted and negotiated during interactions with recruiters and others.Originality/valueHiring without explicit requirements and criteria is often understood as rather unproblematic and/or not fundamentally distinct from hiring with them. The study shows that in these cases the process becomes more unpredictable and more open to interpretation and negotiation.

Determining quality of hire, the holy grail of recruitment: A structuration perspective

“…While organizations prefer to use personality tests and behavioral tests in the selection process to assess role fit, these may indicate the ability to perform in the current role but do not necessarily predict QOH. The facilities of standardized and static job descriptions finalized by the HR team have been a common practice [5] , with functional skills assessed by the hiring manager and culture fit [36] assessed by HR and/or the hiring manager. In cases where AI/technology has been employed, we find that these support efficiency and productivity gains (filtering out candidates who do not match the required skill set), enhance cost-effective service, and reduce operational costs [28] .…”

“…The conventional and widely pervasive hiring practices and structures, characterized by interpretive schemes involving static job descriptions that are uniformly relevant for all stakeholders [5] , appear as myopic and non-value-adding processes. Recruitment is perceived as a support function governed by metrics of resource optimization where, while the business is opening new recruitment mandates, it is the recruitment team unilaterally determining standardized job descriptions.…”

“…Technological advancements in digital platforms, adaptive computational algorithms that use substantial datasets, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing have revolutionized recruitment practices [28] . While focusing on identifying "fit" with job requirements [5,29] , the principal value of these technologies emerged in the efficiency gains of increased recruitment speed and reduced effort and time spent by recruiters in reviewing applications [28] . Research suggests that while organizations focus on an applicant's immediate role fit, they often fail to get the desired performance output [13] .…”

“…Organizational capability and sustainability are contingent upon the quality of applicants it attracts, selects, and retains, as well as those that deliver high performance [5] , and are thus a key objective of strategic human resource management (SHRM) [6,7] . A new hire's primary responsibility is to deliver high job performance standards in the selected role.…”

“…What the organization seeks and values from new hires, i.e., their performance and long-term retention, are paradoxically not measured or considered a valuable criterion for talent acquisition, nor are organizations focusing on how to achieve this from their new hires. Researchers and recruitment functions focus on efficiency-oriented metrics, measuring and rewarding recruiter productivity, with performance measures such as the number of hires made, cost per hire, and cycle time of recruitment being the preferred evaluation criteria of the recruitment function [5,8] . These pressures cause recruiters to adopt a myopic lens, adopting a high efficiency and effectiveness lens to the recruitment process while screening and selecting candidates for the job within their organization.…”