LESSONS IN RECRUITMENT
1
The end consumer is usu- ally a woman; so it makes sense to have a female workforce. We are witness- ing a change with brands coming up with male-ori- ented products but as of now, yes, the industry is women-oriented and that throws up some great op- portunities for female professionals. Q. IS IT IMPORTANT FOR WOMEN TO LOOK GOOD AT THE WORKPLACE? IS APPEAR- ANCE EQUALLY DEFINING FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN? Ruhie: Corporate grooming, as a way of life, is gender- neutral. Both men and women have standards they have to follow. Although the emphasis on appear- ance is higher for front-end employees, there has to be a clearly laid-out grooming policy for the back-end em- ployees as well. Subramanian: The empha- sis on grooming and ap- pearance has risen with a more youthful workforce. It is an integral part of corpo- rate life. Q. WOULD YOU SELECT OR REJECT A CANDI- DATE BASED UPON THEIR APPEARANCE AT THE IN- TERVIEW? Ruhie: We are in the beauty industry and our promise to people is that we will help make them beautiful. So we want our employees to be neat, professional and have an innate appreciation for looking good. During the interview, I look for ba- sic hygiene and the way the person presents them- selves. But there are times when we do make an ex- ception if the person is real- ly keen on joining the in- dustry. We look at their abil- ity to succeed at the job. Once hired, we train them in grooming. Subramanian: It is very im- portant that the person has the right attitude towards grooming and hygiene. But for back-end employees, customer focus is the more critical skill. Q. EQUALITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN OR CELEBRATING THE DIFFERENCES – WHICH STANCE DO YOU SUPPORT MORE AND WHY? Subramanian: Both men and women have their own strengths. So I’d say cele- brate the differences and what each gender brings to the table. Ruhie: At the clinics, when it comes to doctors and dermatologists, customers are comfortable with both men and women. So there’s an equal opportuni- ty there. But when it comes to serving end consumers, we prefer to recruit women because most of our cus- tomers are women. So, it’s all about understanding the person’s strengths and playing up to them. >> (L-R): PBS Srinivas, country manager HR, HP; Jatinder Salwan, head-recruitment, Societe Generale; Sujitesh Das, GM HR, Microland and Dr Sunil Kumar Parameswaran, adjunct faculty finance, IFIM B-School LESSONS IN RECRUITMENT At Ascent Transformation Series, experts got together to throw light on the changing paradigm of recruitment. Here are the excerpts Watch excerpts of Ascent Transformation Series using Alive H R managers al- ways exercise their right on the selec- tion process with the log- ic that though technical aspects can be judged by the hiring manager, the behavioural aspects need to be evaluated by ex- perts – HR managers. Al- so because post-joining, the candidate becomes the responsibility of the HR manager, HR man- agers are always keen to play an active part in the selection process. The constraints, which some- times prevent active HR manager participation are effort cost (time spent by the HR manag- er) and conflict of inter- est (the recruitment manager feels an addi- tional filter has been cre- ated, which adds to se- lection time and effort). In any organisation, effi- cient lifecycle manage- ment of HR is critical for the efficiency of the or- ganisation. Human re- source management in all forms, be it recruit- ment of the right talent, retention of the right tal- ent, managing cost of the workforce and develop- ment of HR to meet the changing needs of the environment should be on top of any CEO’s agenda. CEOs typically monitor and manage re- cruitment health through data-driven information systems and use of ex- perts. Almost every- where, the top manage- ment monitors recruit- ment numbers diligently, and keeps a close eye on the functioning of the recruitment engine. I don’t think a CEO needs to be an expert in re- cruitment activities, but should continue to put monitoring mechanisms in place to intervene at the appropriate time. > JATINDER SALWAN, VP-HR, Societe Generale Viren.Naidu@timesgroup.com WHAT IS ASCENT TRANSFORMATION SERIES? It is a special editorial feature conceived jointly by the editorial team of Ascent and the faculty of IFIM Business School. This is a one-of-its-kind attempt to bring the academia and corporate fraternity on a single platform. GIVE A MISSED CALL TO 18001023324 OR VISIT ALIVEAPP.IN SCAN THE ALIVE MARKED IMAGE SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE RESULT AVAILABLE ON SELECT HANDSETS: ANDROID iOS BLACKBERRY SYMBIAN WINDOWS Advertorial and Promotional Feature A n average candi- date may appear to suit the job de- scription only in the in- terview conversation process whereas the ‘above average’ candi- date may provoke the interview discussions with job enlargement and enrichment ideas for their sake, even if that may not be the fo- cus in the short-term. The “creativity” aspect that stands for logical, constructive and futuris- tic is the differentiator between average and ‘above average’ candi- dates. A modern-day HR manager’s role is seen as that of a social archi- tect in business team building. Recruitment is the key tool that the HR manager leverages to design a robust team that is relevant to busi- ness purpose and helps accomplish the goals of such building. Beyond this tool, the modern- day HR manager helps in continuous and peri- odic assessment of tal- ent skills with that of the evolving organisa- tion and puts in place a training programme to improve productivity. A key aspect of the role is to also ensure optimum utilisation of the re- sources and filter-out the redundant talent and bring in new rele- vant talent. The mod- ern-day HR manager “A MODERN-DAY HR MANAGER’S ROLE IS SEEN AS THAT OF A SOCIAL ARCHITECT” > PBS SRINIVAS, country manager HR, HP: R ecruitment process- es have evolved; however, there isn’t and can’t be a one-size- fits-all approach and therefore, behavioural For editorial queries/feedback, get in touch: Viren Naidu (Viren.Naidu@timesgroup.com) > SUJITESH DAS, GM HR, Microland: analysis doesn’t apply to all types of hiring. Predictive mod- elling is hap- pening in pock- ets, but it’s at too nascent a stage to vali- date the success of stick- iness or loyalty. That’s al- so because it’s not only the talent acquisition process that determines the tenure of an employ- ee, but also the talent development and man- agement models. Beyond the knowledge and the skills, it’s the attitude as- sessed through a set of demonstrable and meas- urable competencies that have impacted and will impact the success of the position by filling the same with a candidate, who differentiates the extraordinary from the ordinary. The process of identification is a combi- nation of science (ex- pertise) and art (experi- ence). The role of the HR manager remains the same as has been for years – hire the right tal- ent for the right job at the right time with the right cost. has to be cognizant of the wide role of not on- ly recruitment but also ensure that the talent is relevant to evolving needs of the business. The young talent grooming process is evolving and not ma- tured yet. Though it’s more prevalent in prod- uct-oriented companies, the other organisations including manufacturing and services sector are gradually catching up to fast-track growth aspira- tions. Across business- es, the measures are being designed to en- sure the direct correla- tion between results ac- complished within time and the possible growth opportunities. A good candidate needs to be motivat- ed, emotionally ma- ture and eager to learn. Technical and domain skills can always be tuned by giving extensive on-the- job training. Thus, the HR manager needs to assess the EQ of a candidate thoroughly and personality profiling and standard as- sessment tests can play a big role. Consistent past academic performance can flag a person who is intellectually a high flyer, but such an individual need not necessarily deliv- er on-the-job. A modern HR manager needs to un- derstand his own firm and its culture thoroughly. He also needs to keep abreast of trends and de- velopments, technical as well as commercial, in his industry at a global and not just a local level. Typi- cally, many of the new roles and required skill- sets would have evolved after a person graduated and donned the role of an HR manager. So awareness is very critical. > DR SUNIL KUMAR PARAMESWARAN, adjunct faculty - finance, IFIM Business School: “THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFICATION IS A COMBINATION OF EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE” “THE HR MANAGER NEEDS TO ASSESS THE EQ OF A CANDIDATE THOROUGHLY” “A CEO TOO SHOULD INTERVENE DURING THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS” IMAGESBAZAAR “Celebrate the differences and what each gender brings to the table” As Women’s Day just went by, we chat with S Subramanian, CEO and Ruhie Pande, head – HR and training, Marico Kaya Enterprises Limited to get a dual perspective about women in the beauty sector Ankita.Shreeram @timesgroup.com Q. IS THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY STILL PRIMARILY WOMEN- ORIENTED? Subramanian: Yes, to a large extent. Most of the customers are women but having said that, the male segment of users is also growing. Employees are dominantly women be- cause of the customer pro- file. There has been a small shift in terms of the gender balance but equal parity will take a long time. Ruhie: I resonate with that. THE ECONOMIC TIMES, NEW DELHI, TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015
Transcript of LESSONS IN RECRUITMENT
The end consumer is usu-ally a woman; so it makessense to have a femaleworkforce. We are witness-ing a change with brandscoming up with male-ori-ented products but as ofnow, yes, the industry iswomen-oriented and thatthrows up some great op-portunities for female professionals.
Q.IS IT IMPORTANTFOR WOMEN TO
LOOK GOOD AT THEWORKPLACE? IS APPEAR-ANCE EQUALLY DEFININGFOR BOTH MEN ANDWOMEN?Ruhie: Corporate grooming,as a way of life, is gender-neutral. Both men andwomen have standards theyhave to follow. Althoughthe emphasis on appear-ance is higher for front-endemployees, there has to bea clearly laid-out groomingpolicy for the back-end em-ployees as well. Subramanian: The empha-sis on grooming and ap-pearance has risen with amore youthful workforce. Itis an integral part of corpo-rate life.
Q. WOULD YOU SELECTOR REJECT A CANDI-
DATE BASED UPON THEIRAPPEARANCE AT THE IN-TERVIEW?Ruhie: We are in the beautyindustry and our promise topeople is that we will helpmake them beautiful. Sowe want our employees to
be neat, professional andhave an innate appreciationfor looking good. Duringthe interview, I look for ba-sic hygiene and the way theperson presents them-selves. But there are timeswhen we do make an ex-ception if the person is real-ly keen on joining the in-dustry. We look at their abil-ity to succeed at the job.Once hired, we train themin grooming. Subramanian: It is very im-portant that the person hasthe right attitude towardsgrooming and hygiene. Butfor back-end employees,customer focus is the morecritical skill.
Q.EQUALITY BETWEENMEN AND WOMEN
OR CELEBRATING THEDIFFERENCES – WHICHSTANCE DO YOU SUPPORTMORE AND WHY? Subramanian: Both menand women have their ownstrengths. So I’d say cele-brate the differences andwhat each gender brings tothe table.Ruhie: At the clinics, whenit comes to doctors anddermatologists, customersare comfortable with bothmen and women. Sothere’s an equal opportuni-ty there. But when it comesto serving end consumers,we prefer to recruit womenbecause most of our cus-tomers are women. So, it’sall about understanding theperson’s strengths andplaying up to them.
>> (L-R): PBS Srinivas, country manager HR,HP; Jatinder Salwan, head-recruitment, Societe Generale; Sujitesh Das, GM HR,
Microland and Dr Sunil Kumar Parameswaran, adjunct faculty finance, IFIM B-School
LESSONS IN RECRUITMENTAt Ascent Transformation Series, experts got together tothrow light on the changing paradigm of recruitment.
Here are the excerpts
Watch excerpts of Ascent Transformation Series using Alive
HR managers al-ways exercise theirright on the selec-
tion process with the log-ic that though technicalaspects can be judged bythe hiring manager, thebehavioural aspects needto be evaluated by ex-perts – HR managers. Al-so because post-joining,the candidate becomesthe responsibility of theHR manager, HR man-agers are always keen toplay an active part in theselection process. Theconstraints, which some-times prevent active HRmanager participationare effort cost (timespent by the HR manag-er) and conflict of inter-est (the recruitmentmanager feels an addi-tional filter has been cre-ated, which adds to se-lection time and effort).In any organisation, effi-cient lifecycle manage-ment of HR is critical for
the efficiency of the or-ganisation. Human re-source management inall forms, be it recruit-ment of the right talent,retention of the right tal-ent, managing cost of theworkforce and develop-ment of HR to meet thechanging needs of theenvironment should beon top of any CEO’sagenda. CEOs typicallymonitor and manage re-cruitment health throughdata-driven informationsystems and use of ex-perts. Almost every-where, the top manage-ment monitors recruit-ment numbers diligently,and keeps a close eyeon the functioning of therecruitment engine. Idon’t think a CEO needsto be an expert in re-cruitment activities, butshould continue to putmonitoring mechanismsin place to intervene atthe appropriate time.
> JATINDER SALWAN,VP-HR, Societe Generale
WHAT IS ASCENT TRANSFORMATION SERIES?It is a special editorial feature conceived
jointly by the editorial team of Ascent andthe faculty of IFIM Business School. This isa one-of-its-kind attempt to bring theacademia and corporate fraternity on asingle platform.
GIVE A MISSED CALL TO 18001023324 ORVISIT ALIVEAPP.IN
SCAN THE ALIVEMARKED IMAGE
SIT BACK ANDENJOY THE RESULT
AVAILABLE ON SELECT HANDSETS:
ANDROID iOS BLACKBERRY SYMBIAN WINDOWS
Advertorial and Promotional Feature
An average candi-date may appearto suit the job de-
scription only in the in-terview conversationprocess whereas the‘above average’ candi-date may provoke theinterview discussionswith job enlargementand enrichment ideasfor their sake, even ifthat may not be the fo-cus in the short-term.The “creativity” aspectthat stands for logical,constructive and futuris-tic is the differentiatorbetween average and‘above average’ candi-dates.
A modern-day HRmanager’s role is seenas that of a social archi-tect in business team
building. Recruitment isthe key tool that the HRmanager leverages todesign a robust teamthat is relevant to busi-ness purpose and helpsaccomplish the goals ofsuch building. Beyondthis tool, the modern-day HR manager helpsin continuous and peri-odic assessment of tal-ent skills with that ofthe evolving organisa-tion and puts in place atraining programme toimprove productivity. Akey aspect of the role isto also ensure optimumutilisation of the re-sources and filter-outthe redundant talentand bring in new rele-vant talent. The mod-ern-day HR manager
“A MODERN-DAY HR MANAGER’S ROLE IS SEEN AS THAT OF A
SOCIAL ARCHITECT”
> PBS SRINIVAS, country manager HR, HP:
Recruitment process-es have evolved;however, there isn’t
and can’t be a one-size-fits-all approach andtherefore, behavioural
For editorial queries/feedback, get in touch: Viren Naidu ([email protected])
> SUJITESH DAS,GM HR, Microland:
analysis doesn’tapply to alltypes of hiring.Predictive mod-elling is hap-
pening in pock-ets, but it’s at too
nascent a stage to vali-date the success of stick-iness or loyalty. That’s al-so because it’s not onlythe talent acquisitionprocess that determines
the tenure of an employ-ee, but also the talentdevelopment and man-agement models. Beyondthe knowledge and theskills, it’s the attitude as-sessed through a set ofdemonstrable and meas-urable competencies thathave impacted and willimpact the success of theposition by filling thesame with a candidate,
who differentiates theextraordinary from theordinary. The process ofidentification is a combi-nation of science (ex-pertise) and art (experi-ence). The role of the HRmanager remains thesame as has been foryears – hire the right tal-ent for the right job atthe right time with theright cost.
has to be cognizant ofthe wide role of not on-ly recruitment but alsoensure that the talent isrelevant to evolvingneeds of the business.The young talentgrooming process isevolving and not ma-tured yet. Though it’smore prevalent in prod-uct-oriented companies,the other organisationsincluding manufacturingand services sector aregradually catching up tofast-track growth aspira-tions. Across business-es, the measures arebeing designed to en-sure the direct correla-tion between results ac-complished within timeand the possiblegrowth opportunities.
Agood candidateneeds to be motivat-ed, emotionally ma-
ture and eager to learn.Technical and domainskills can always be tunedby giving extensive on-the-job training. Thus, the HRmanager needs to assessthe EQ of a candidatethoroughly and personalityprofiling and standard as-
sessment tests can play abig role. Consistent pastacademic performancecan flag a person who isintellectually a high flyer,but such an individualneed not necessarily deliv-er on-the-job. A modernHR manager needs to un-derstand his own firm andits culture thoroughly. Healso needs to keep
abreast of trends and de-velopments, technical aswell as commercial, in hisindustry at a global andnot just a local level. Typi-cally, many of the newroles and required skill-sets would have evolvedafter a person graduatedand donned the role ofan HR manager. Soawareness is very critical.
> DR SUNIL KUMAR PARAMESWARAN,adjunct faculty - finance, IFIM Business School:
“THE PROCESS OFIDENTIFICATION IS A
COMBINATION OFEXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE”
“THE HR MANAGER NEEDS TO ASSESSTHE EQ OF A CANDIDATE THOROUGHLY”
“A CEO TOO SHOULDINTERVENE DURINGTHE RECRUITMENT
PROCESS”
IMAG
ESB
AZA
AR“Celebrate the differences and whateach gender brings to the table”As Women’s Day just went by, we chat with S Subramanian, CEO and RuhiePande, head – HR and training, Marico Kaya Enterprises Limited to get a dualperspective about women in the beauty sector
Q.IS THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY STILL
PRIMARILY WOMEN-ORIENTED? Subramanian: Yes, to alarge extent. Most of thecustomers are women but
having said that, the malesegment of users is alsogrowing. Employees aredominantly women be-cause of the customer pro-file. There has been a smallshift in terms of the genderbalance but equal paritywill take a long time. Ruhie: I resonate with that.
THE ECONOMIC TIMES, NEW DELHI, TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015
