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University HR team celebrate successful shift to new recruitment model

Human resources (HR) staff members at Robert Gordon University (RGU) are currently reflecting on their successful implementation of a new recruitment model across the organisation.

As 2011 comes to a close, the team are celebrating their receipt of two prestigious awards (one regional and one national) plus becoming finalists in a further national award, in recognition of their development and delivery of a behavioural interviewing initiative across the university.

This string of accolades follows from the HR team’s decision to enhance the university’s recruitment and selection process in order to meet the university’s strategic objectives. A key component of this shift was to introduce behavioural interviewing – a model of recruitment interviewing based on discovering how the interviewee acted in specific employment-related situations.

Lydia Ross, Head of Human Resources, explained: “The logic behind this model of interviewing is that, by gaining information on how an interviewee has behaved during certain work-related tasks the in the past, you will be better able to predict how they will behave in the future.

“As well as improving our selection of new staff, this new model provides financial benefits as it requires shorter lead times and smaller but better-trained interview panels to carry it out.”

Since embarking on its’ campaign to implement this cultural shift in recruitment practice in September 2009, the HR team has trained over 200 managers - including the top management team - and delivered it on time and within budget.

The training was delivered through an innovative blend of online video and audio exercises, self-assessments and skill development exercises followed by a classroom-based workshop. This methodology proved so successful that is has been replicated with other university initiatives such as a new Employee Performance Review process, Leaders and Managers Skills Toolkit (to be launched January 2012), Data Protection and Health and Safety training.

One Faculty were so impressed they have started using behavioural techniques to assess students.

In early June, the team were selected as winners of the Extraordinary Team Initiative Award at the 2011 CHeRries, an awards scheme established to celebrate the individuals and teams who have delivered excellence in the field of HR in Grampian and the north-east of Scotland.

This was followed in October by the team’s receipt of the Staff Development Impact Award from the Leadership Foundation of Higher Education, Staff Development Forum and Good Practice. Most recently, in November, the team were selected as finalists in the UK Training Journal Awards, which are widely recognised as the most prestigious in the learning and development sector.

Looking back at the year’s accomplishments, Lydia commented: “My team and I are delighted to have been selected for these accolades, but more so at the beneficial impact that this new initiative is already having on RGU. The exercise has been far reaching within the university, and has elevated the importance of the recruitment and selection process across the whole organisation. The approach ensures that we select the right candidate for the post and present ourselves professionally throughout the application process.”

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