Pharmacists in times of crisis: a great selection and subtle approach

Due to the deepening of the economic crisis we are now seeing a wave of staff cuts, to cover not only representatives of various professions, but also, unfortunately, in different countries.

At first glance, a very favorable situation for employers - labor supply exceeds demand, and it means that there is to choose from.

However, not all so simple, says Senior Consultant recruiting company Brain Source International Natalia Lukyanenko. There is a downside. Indeed, the number of people looking for work increased significantly, but does this say about the professionalism of the applicants? According to statistics, the first under a wave of contractions were still the least effective employees.

At a time when the company needs to drastically and quickly reduce their costs, especially getting rid of tactical specialists, that is, those who choose the scope of activities that are not based on their abilities and their true interests. And along with them under reduction and young professionals - waiting for the beginner disclosure as a professional, according to the company, it is fairly expensive. However, if you look into the distant future, the loss of prospective employee can cost even more. Furthermore, job loss, long unsuccessful search for a new competitor can push to accept any kind of work, and therefore to all HR-managers are often random people.

As the difference in the growing army of applicants this specialist? As the crisis has changed the labor market for the pharmaceutical industry? How did the Ukrainian job seekers and employers?

Pharmacists had won

It should be noted that of all the pharmaceutical market is the economic downturn has affected the least. Indeed, some pharmaceutical companies have had to reduce staff, mainly at the expense of non-core workers and young professionals. It is obvious that the number of applicants has increased, but the really noteworthy among them no more. Just if earlier, in order to find, for example, a medical representative, had to find a way to attract the best candidates, but now, when the choice is wider, including a large number of those who have experience in a similar position and correspond to many other necessary requirements.

You can also talk about the fact that the current crisis has changed the Ukrainian employer, which nevertheless continues to develop and carry out the recruitment of new employees. In some cases, paradoxically, it is not only the filling of vacant posts, but that target the recruitment of new employees. At the same time, companies have become more demanding. For example, if an employer previously has been quite willing to compromise and reconcile with any skill gaps, in the current situation, such concessions are allowed less often - too wide choice and high competition among applicants.

The question remains, how do you know the applicant, the most suitable for the vacant seats?

Today, the standard procedure of selection of the staff includes a number of techniques which have been accumulated to meet the requirements of a specific position and company. With the onset of the crisis, these requirements tend to, to become more and more clear, claiming objectivity and transparency. Education, skills, work experience in this area and often even external data make up a list of necessary criteria for participation in the contest for the vacant position. Today an employer will not turn a blind eye to some inaccuracies in his biography of the applicant, and requires full compliance.

However, no one does not issue a certificate of talent, hard work, stress and potential. Thus, no less important task is to identify all of these qualities in the selected candidates, the subsequent analysis of which allows you to choose the right one who will best meet the needs of the company.

Among the standard procedures for the selection of staff is widely used, for example, a structured interview format, which is aimed at obtaining objective information on the characteristics of the applicant, his previous experience, qualifications. It will assess the potential of the applicant the possibility of his aptitude and motivation. At the same attention as is paid to non-verbal marks as gestures, facial expressions, posture, which can tell a lot about the applicant.

Another, no less common technique is the competency interview, during which the applicant was asked to tell about a few situations from their work experience, which help to evaluate his professional and personal characteristics; special attention is paid to this procedure that determine success.

With the help of CASE-interview, during which the applicant offered to find a way out of situations, it is possible to assess the applicant's ability to think fast, to find optimal solutions, to analyze and predict the result of their actions.

Interesting shape acquired in Ukraine the so-called stress-interview - a popular and widely used method of selection of the personnel HR-managers in the West that Russian specialists interpreted and applied is not always true. That is why we propose to deal with it in more detail. This method was formed in the middle of the last century, and his technique was developed to solve a set of tasks or evaluation of the staff of firefighters, police and military. Only later it was used by representatives of leading European and American companies in order to separate during the interview applicants who do not meet certain requirements.

During stress-interview specialist personnel intentionally simulates an atmosphere interview, which must necessarily embarrass the applicant or put it in an awkward position. This makes it possible not only to quickly verify the stress of the candidate but also test its ability to show flexibility and the ability to behave in unusual situations.

stress interview method solves two main tasks. So, it is no secret that most people come for an interview is not just a passing such a test, and therefore highly trained. The more experienced competitor in front of you, the more formal it answers, not emotionally colored. He already knows what he wants to hear the employer and how to apply. In this case, the information provided by the applicant, is not always the case and often is just a result of negative experiences in past interviews. The main task of a stressful conversation in such cases will reveal the accumulated candidate "beautiful facade", revealing some of his more real personality traits. In the arsenal of the stress of the interviewer - tricky questions, test expectation unfamiliar surroundings and behavior, and this is not an exhaustive list.

But do not forget that this approach poses and many pitfalls. First of all, the employer risks losing talented applicants with largely justified by the negative bias with respect to these selection methods. Roughly speaking, many self-respecting and highly qualified specialists will decide, it's easy to find an employer poprivetlivee, and it is likely that they would be right.

Using stress interview requires a high level of professional recruiter. In unskilled hands, this method may cause a serious blow to the reputation of the employer.

The second problem to be solved by the stress interview - is to identify stress as the personal characteristics of the candidate. Such information may be useful in selecting among applicants without work experience and for a limited number of professions. First of all, this technique is effective in the selection of advertising managers, professionals working with clients (the same medical representatives), managers of public relations, managers, leading webcast and journalists. It is not necessary to explain that the questionable feasibility of identifying stress in the applicant for the position, such as a programmer.

From the above it can be concluded that the current situation on the labor market improved somewhat unjustly forgotten methods of personnel selection and makes HR-manager to be more sophisticated in the choice of methods, and in relation to the results of the interview - as a more impartial and objective as possible.

Among the large number of applicants is where to deploy in its entirety their claims to the employer and where carousing recruiter critical evaluation. However, regardless of the technique of the interview, be aware that this is just a way to get information to make a decision about the professional suitability, and is not a contest manager for HR and the applicant. Everything that happens during the interview should be kept within the framework of a common goal - the determination of mutual compliance requirements and proposals of both parties.

In any case, recruiters say, despite the expansion of choices presented to the employer, efficient and qualified personnel as they were, and remain of the rarity, that is always a price. Therefore, all that is required from a specialist in crisis - is the preservation and improvement of professional skills. Qualifications and experience - the proposal that will be highly appreciated in the labor market regardless of external economic factors.