According to a survey conducted a few years back, a recruiting agency for companies in India has become a blessing for companies of every size. An experienced recruiter is the best professional a company can approach to take care of their staffing needs. They have adequate and updated knowledge of the employment market. Even if a candidate is passive or selective, they leave no stone unturned in ensuring they select the best for your company.
Staffing is one of the most important functions of management. It involves the process of filling the vacant position with the right personnel at the right job, at right time. Hence, everything will occur in the right manner. It is a truth that human resources are one of the greatest assets for every organization, because in any organization, all other resources, like money, materials, machines, etc., can be utilized effectively and efficiently through the positive efforts of the human resources team.
Finding qualified talent remains a challenge for many small and large companies and corporates. Reviewing applications, interviewing candidates, and negotiating salaries all take precious time away from a business owner’s existing obligations, which may end up hurting the business in the long run. That’s why some employers partner with staffing agencies, which take a lot of the time and effort out of the search for candidates by providing their workers with open roles.
Harshil Mehta, Director, and CEO, VHM Consultants
Few understand the challenges and uncertainties of the dynamic job market better than the nation’s biggest recruiting agencies. From onboarding clients to managing the relationships and the hiring process, larger agencies experience the responsibilities and overhead costs associated with running a recruiting business daily.
Many companies do some interesting things in their recruiting. This article highlights one such company that is leveraging data and talent networks to drive innovation in their recruitment marketing strategies in a way that can help other organisations potentially improve their recruiting processes. Today in the Prodigy section, of Business Touch Magazine, we will be talking about one such company, VHM Consultants, successfully handled by Founder and Managing Director Harshil Mehta.
VHM Consultants’ inception was in February 2020. It was during the pandemic era that Harshil came up with the idea of doing something that he had always desired. Something for which he can provide the service and which has a huge market. The idea occurred as the company has been providing an efficient, effective, and relevant staffing experience to job-seekers as well as employers. As consultants, it’s crucial to understand the needs of employers and job seekers to help bring together the perfect match in expertise, skill, and personality.
During the lockdown, Harshil said, “I wanted to try my hands in different sectors and avail myself of any opportunity that may possibly come my way.” But at that time, I was looking at the dull market situation and I was seeing that people were unemployed. There seems to be an opportunity if I could do something for them and eradicate joblessness from their lives. “
So, the whole ideology behind starting a recruitment firm for Harshil was to provide jobs to the needy and help them improve their lives. Initially, Harshil had a small team and started recruitment for small-scale firms and the BPO sector with basic job recruitment and juniorlevel roles. But now they are hiring for a senior role, a VP role, and have got various other big opportunities to work with.
Harshil says, “You can say if you want to start any company or you are heading to grow your company before you roll, you have to have recruitment done for your business or organization, and so recruitment plays a very crucial role for the formation and growth of the company, no matter which sector you are from.”
Before Harshil started his current venture, VHM Consultants, he was in the automobile industry. He learned a lot there and later moved on to the event company, where he used to do fabrication work. Eventually, after some time, like any traditional Indian family, he moved to his family business, construction. But somewhere inside his mind, he knew that his place was somewhere else and did not belong to the current environment.
“Organization-specific” recruitment process adopted by VHM Consultants
We say “organization-specific” because each company operates differently—what works well for one company might not be the best choice for another company. The recruitment process will give them sufficient space to find and evaluate job candidates, but also encourage them to adopt these processes based on company culture and needs.
1. Understanding Client Requirements
The hiring process begins by identifying a need within an organization. This need could vary from filling a vacated position, better managing a team’s workload, or expanding the reach of organizational tasks. Positions are, in other words, either newly formed or recently vacated. This is followed by devising a recruitment plan. Recruitment also includes strategizing how to publicize the new position, both internally and externally; establishing criteria for initial candidate screening; what the interview process will look like; and who will conduct interviews.
2. Candidate screening and shortlisting
The most important part of the candidate screening phase is the interview. Screening calls, job application reviews, and pre-employment tests help ensure that hiring teams interview the best candidates. As a final check in the recruitment and shortlisting process, you will want to contact the candidate’s references. Gather information to confirm responses during the interview. Consider the candidate’s strengths, skills, or abilities that would allow the candidate to flourish with the growth of the company.
3. Client Feedback & Interview
In hiring teams, the main players in the hiring process are the hiring manager and his/her recruiter. They make most decisions and should have a good working relationship. Team members may participate in some stages of the process. Team members can both evaluate candidates for cultural fit and show candidates your company’s collaborative environment firsthand. The Talent Acquisition team or recruiting coordinators help make the hiring process more efficient. Senior executives could talk to candidates during the final interview.
They may spot an issue that eluded the hiring team, or help select the best among the finalists.
4. Decision and Job Offer to the Candidate
After conducting background and reference checks, the hiring staff identifies their top choice and takes a decision. The hiring staff should also select a backup candidate, in case the top choice declines the offer or negotiations fail to produce a signed offer letter. The hiring staff should discuss whether or not to adjust or alter the hiring process to yield more favorable candidates.
Once a top candidate is identified, the organisation should extend an initial offer. The offer letter should include the position’s salary, benefits, paid time off, start date, potential severance pay, working remotely policy, including company equipment, and other terms and conditions of employment. The hiring staff should determine internally which elements of the offer letter are negotiable, and which are not.
It is typical for terms like salary, flexible work schedule, and working remotely to be negotiable.
Adopting an “organization-specific” recruitment process and successfully moving forward is not easy as there are many difficulties and hurdles you face during the process. Like any budding entrepreneur, Harshil
“In start-ups, the demand-supply of talent is such that small organizations should only focus on ‘attracting’ talent and not just ‘hiring’. There are three things that matter when attracting talent in a start-up environment. Firstly, the vision of the team is the beginning of the conversation. Secondly, the leader becomes a talent magnet. The only asset you have as a smaller company when you compete in the talent marketplace is your leadership. Thirdly, referrals become the most successful source of talent. “
“Consultants at VHM are pillars of strength,” says Harshil.
Finding people who not only possess the skills and experience to excel in a role but who are also a good cultural fit with their employer is the idea that hiring managers strive for when recruiting. However, questions about what constitutes company culture and how to communicate it effectively when recruiting remain a challenge.
Employers need to understand which aspects of a company’s culture matter to professionals and identify how they can meet these needs to attract top talent. Clearly and effectively communicating the working culture of your business throughout the recruitment process is vital to finding candidates who will thrive within your organization.
According to Harshil, “Both employers and professionals regard shaping and developing company culture as a responsibility shared among the entire business, with every member of staff having a role to play.” All staff should be encouraged to share their ideas and perspectives on how best to demonstrate and implement the company’s core values.
HR Consultants are great communicators and have in-depth knowledge and understanding of human capital, Human Resources Management, and business processes. They consult for businesses in several different areas within the personnel field, working with business leaders to define the company’s HR issues, goals, and requirements. Developing and implementing HR models and strategies for different types of businesses is undertaken by consultants.
Recruiting and selecting the right candidates for vacant positions and then producing and implementing training and development programs for employee performance accordingly. They administer appraisals and set goals that comply with current employment laws and regulations. Work relentlessly on developing, revising, and implementing HR policies and procedures and resolving any issues that a company might have with its workforce.
Specialized services provided by VHM Consultants include:
Your process should move logically from one step to another to make your workflow intuitive. VHM Consultants spend time working with the team to identify the main steps in the organization’s recruitment process. Then, list the tasks required to complete each of these steps. It’s important to define each step clearly and ensure that you are organizing steps and tasks correctly and consistently throughout the workflow.
1. Leadership Hiring
Consultants at VHM’s hiring practise focus on board and CXO-level leadership hiring. They understand that the right talent drives business and, hence, help you attract the right top talent and build an adaptive and diverse workforce to fulfil your strategic business objectives.
2. Permanent Staffing
Staff at VHM provides a permanent staffing division that can manage requirements across levels and industries with organizations of various sizes. They understand that each industry has its own unique requirements in terms of culture, hiring practices, management style, and compensation trends. Hence, they have developed verticalized propositions based on industry benchmarks and their long experience.
3. Recruitment Process Outsourcing
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is when a company transfers all or part of its permanent recruitment to an external provider. We, as an RPO provider, can act as an extension of a company’s HR or resourcing function, sitting on-site with the client and providing a holistic hiring solution. VHM delivers the necessary staff, technology, and methodology needed to fulfill a client’s recruitment requirements.
4. Contract Staffing
For both employers and employees, contract staffing is seen as offering more flexibility. Independent workers are not tied to a particular job or company, which can bring certain lifestyle advantages. In turn, employers can adapt their staffing to meet demand, which is often a more cost-effective approach. experience in matching the right talent to the right temporary contract.
5. Human Resource Consulting
Organizations that may not have the internal bandwidth to manage end-to-end HR operations, can opt to outsource to us as we have specialised professionals who can add value and efficiency to the process. VHM manages the entire gamut of your HR processes like payroll, recruitment, talent acquisition, HR policy development, performance management, learning & development, compensation planning, and HR audit and onsite HR services.
Why Partner With VHM Consultants?
Human capital management skills are the top qualities embodied by a good HR consultant. Demonstrating the ability to acknowledge and invest in employees and train, manage, mentor, and retain good employees is the ultimate goal for this role. All our consultants have excellent communication skills, which are essential for this sector. They can communicate, understand, empathize, and problem-solve with individuals from all levels of the company, which is imperative.
The consultant at VHM has people assessment skills that are highly desired. They know how to assess the capabilities of candidates during the recruitment and evaluate the suitability of incumbent employees for their current or potential roles with the company. Time management skills for HR consultants are crucial. The role changes daily and requires wearing a lot of different hats. Our consultants are experienced in sourcing across industries like BFSI, IT/ITES, BPOs, Media, Conglomerates, Chemical Industry, Pharma and Healthcare, NBFC, Retail, Telecom, FMCG, Consulting, and Startups.
VHM Consultants have years of experience working for different industries and businesses. They understand the dynamics and can either map the perfect candidate or build the best HR strategy for your business. These experts know the best practices across talent management, talent engagement, performance management, and likewise. Hence, you bring on board a lot of expertise when you partner with our HR consulting firm.
To Conclude
Technology is on its way to disrupting everything, and HR functions and activities are no exception. It is a daunting task for your HR folks to know and keep themselves updated with the latest disruptions in the field of HR functions. On the other hand, they have a thorough knowledge of the technology and the tools, and they would help your employees with the implementation part of HR tech. They would be responsible for maintaining, upgrading, and training your employees to use tools and software.
Besides being forward-thinking, the team of VHM Consultants possesses extensive industry experience to face the challenges present in the global world of business. We understand these requirements and know how to look for the right combination of hard and soft skills, along with relevant experience as a professional, that will make a successful placement within any business. We are committed to forming long-term professional relationships with each of the businesses we work with, providing feedback and progress reports throughout the recruitment process, and providing extensive support for both professionals and businesses after the first placement is made.
