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Allowing talent to meet opportunity

Many South Africans are fortunate enough to have a good education, employment and are able to dream of owning a home or improving a current one, travelling within South Africa or to distant countries, or purchasing a car and upgrading to a better one.

But for many unemployed South Africans, dreaming is not a priority. Their number-one focus is finding employment and being able to provide for their families. Without appropriate resources, many youths are forced to wander the streets in search of possibilities they perceive to be out of reach.

Various studies into employment practices have revealed that:

• recruitment and selection practices are seldom aligned with organisational, service delivery, equity and strategic priorities of the departments which require staff;

• the requirements for the posts available and the person

required to fill it, were not clearly defined;

• questions asked in the interview had little relevance to the

job requirement, and operational requirement; and

• the staff who were conducting the interview lacked the necessary selection or interviewing skills and were unable to effectively probe the skills, knowledge and competency of the applicants.

Many recruitment agencies exist and thrive on finding employment for talented and skilled individuals, as well as those often overlooked for jobs.

Although the main focus is somewhat altered, from helping others to mainly generating a profit, there are those who remain steadfast in eradicating unemployment.

In a study to determine the most important employable characteristics, Charles Jett of Ward Howell International Inc. conducted an analysis of 900 executive recruitment searches. It revealed that the most desirable attributes were: good communication; logical thinking; capable of ensuring the practical implementation of change arising from strategic ideas and theories; the ability to work as a member of a team; and effective time management.

Being aware of the opportunities and services available to the unemployed, such as recruitment agencies, can prove beneficial when job hunting.

People act out of desperation and accept a job purely out of frustration, which may in many cases lead to job dissatisfaction.

The process of recruiting a suitable person to fulfil the position available is a laborious task.

Companies are hesitant to employ anyone who could prove to be onerous in future.

DreamWorker is an organisation funded by the Department of Social Development to help the unemployed find work.

While it understands the enormous benefit of upskilling people, it focuses on first satisfying those basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. Further education then becomes a goal for those employed.

The company is project managed by Ronald and Tania Bownes, along with a team of office helpers, and has been set up to help semi-skilled to unskilled jobseekers.

Commercial enterprises are there to help skilled staff – people with comprehensive CVs and good track records.

But who helps the domestic workers, the painters, the gardeners, the bottom-end retail staff? People with minimal education who do not know how to compile a meaningful CV, how to e-mail their information to potential employers, or how to conduct themselves in an interview?

At DreamWorker, each applicant is thoroughly screened during a one-on-one interview. Copies of all documents, from ID books to certificates, are kept on file.

Discussions with applicants and questions about their best qualities or the dream they have for their life, enable the interviewer to gauge the person’s potential.

DreamWorker does not charge a fee, but relies on grant funding and any donations that employers may be willing
to make.

Through various marketing campaigns, potential employers are encouraged to use the services of recruitment agencies, whether it is to find help at home, at the office or in any other capacity. Rather than picking any one off the street, they can find some peace of mind in knowing that time has been taken to pre-screen applicants.

Even if the recruitment process were to be successful, however, employees could still be tempted to leave for greener pastures. The key is to focus on staff retention.

With adequate and effective human resources planning, recruitment and selection, companies are on the right track. Having an effective human resources team could prove vital.

Employees are also attracted by the compensation and benefit packages offered by the company.

Employees must see their role within the organisation as worthwhile and vital to its future. Therefore, all employees should be made aware of the culture of the organisation.

This allows them to feel as though they are a part of a greater purpose.

A level of accountability should be made clear, as staff are answerable for performance outcomes and implementation.

Staff will never know whether or not they are achieving optimal service delivery unless they receive regular feedback regarding the quality of their work. Their performance could be evaluated on a quarterly or annual basis, so that they may improve in the areas where they are lacking.

Ideally, evaluation should not only be done by management, but also by peers. All employees should have the opportunity to evaluate their colleagues via anonymous evaluation charts.

This will provide a clear indication of their performance, not only with regards to the work they do, but also the way others perceive them. Employees will never know if management and their colleagues are satisfied with their performance unless this process takes place.

If an organisation is focused on retaining its skilled staff, it needs to ensure that employees are satisfied and not easily swayed. Some factors that could tempt staff to leave could include:

• financial consideration;

• a better work environment;

• career growth; and

• leadership and management style.

Emotional satisfaction could prove as vital as material benefits when retaining staff. If employees are emotionally content, they subconsciously develop a sense of loyalty towards the company. This could stem from effective and compassionate leaders.

A leader is not necessarily someone within a management position. Anyone can portray leadership skills. Employees should be shown the importance of setting good examples in order to be respected and valued by their peers and
top management.

Apathetic management teams are often the main reason why skilled staff seek employment elsewhere.

The main goal of recruitment agencies such as DreamWorker is to help the government meet its goal of halving unemployment by 2014, and to help create a new mindset in South Africa, where employment creation is seen as a primary goal on every social responsibility
division’s agenda.

To encourage corporates to fund job creation programmes – “New Deal” style programmes, where canals are cleaned out, parks are upgraded, childcare facilities are painted.

Anything to create more jobs for people, while constantly upgrading poorer communities in the process.

Nadia Gamieldien

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