Staff hiring policy at Healy Consultants

Introduction: This policy contains the 12 steps of the hiring process at Healy Consultants. The more interaction with candidates, the better Healy Consultants can evaluate the quantity and quality of their deliverables. We can evaluate their i) willingness to do tasks ii) speed of replies iii) business writing skills iv) common sense and problem solving skills. The 12 steps of this multiple-step process must at all times be followed as accurately as possible by the hiring party, although there may be rare occasions where the steps are undertaken in a slightly different order.

1. Initial contact: During the initial contact with a potential candidate, whether it’s an email or a telephone call, it must be clear what position the candidate is applying for;
2. CV: The candidate will be asked to forward his email to the HR department that will revise the CV to see if the candidate has the experience and skills required to fulfill the tasks and duties of the position available. If the recruiter agrees with the CV, he or she can then set up a telephone interview at a convenient time for recruiter and candidate. Healy Consultants is only interested in experienced candidates who have stayed in at least one past job for at least 3 years. Job hoppers are to be avoided;
3. Phone interview: Call the candidate exactly at the agreed time. Punctuality is a virtue at Healy Consultants. After a brief friendly introduction, ask the candidate where he/she is currently located, and if the candidate is comfortable with answering some questions. Then proceed with asking the questions suggested on the phone interview questionnaire, writing down the replies as you go along. Once the questions have finished positively, then ask if the candidate will be willing to answer a staff questionnaire that you will send to them by email right away;
4. Staff questionnaire by email: Take note of how fast the candidate came back to you with the questionnaire since it was sent out. The speed can indicate how “hungry” the candidate is for the position, but also how skilled he or she may be. If it takes many days, it’s reasonable to wonder and ask the candidate how come it took so long. Print out the questionnaire and add to the file containing the CV and the phone interview answers. Thank the candidate for sending the answers, and let him/her now that you will get back to them as soon as possible. Spelling errors are a red flag since Healy Consultants rely on quality English written skills for website creation and client communications. It can also indicate that the candidate cares little about presentation or is not familiar with the more simple Microsoft tools which is a required skill at Healy Consultants;
5. References: Ask the candidate to forward references or contact details or people who are in a position to give references, for example previous employers or professors at a university. It is helpful if the candidate can produce phone numbers in case the Managing Director wish to contact the previous employers personally;
6. Enneagram test: Email the enneagram test with the additional questions. The file “Enneagram test for job candidates” can be found in the HR files. Introduce this test as a “popular and brief personality test that will not take more than 5-10 minutes to answer”. The candidate can email the answered enneagram test back to HR. There is a preference for candidates who have the numbers: 2 and 3 and 6;
7. Tasks: If the candidate is still considered a viable candidate for the job, he or she will now be asked to perform one or more relatively challenging tasks for the company related to the position they are applying for. The tasks are particularly helpful for evaluating candidates who cannot meet up in the office because they are currently not in Singapore. The candidate will be given a reasonable time (between 1-7 days) to finish and email back the replied tasks, which will then be evaluated by the appropriate departments and possibly the Managing Director if deemed necessary. Spelling errors and email response delays are continuously red flags as mentioned in 4);
8. Personal interview at the office: If the candidate has passed with success all of the above recruitment steps, and he or she is still interested in the position, it is now a good time to invite the candidate for a personal interview at Healy Consultants office. The relevant people from the particular department will conduct the interview, possibly together with the HR Manager and/or the Managing Director;
9. A final task: If the candidate is still considered a viable candidate for the job after the personal meeting, he or she will now be asked to perform another task for the company (spelling errors and email response delays continue to be red flags);
10. Trial period: Where possible, we welcome the opportunity to work with the candidate in-house for 2 or 3 weeks. We sign a consulting agreement with the candidate on trial and all of Healy Consultants staff can evaluate the candidate as a good fit for our Firm. We can evaluate their i) willingness to do tasks ii) speed of replies iii) business writing skills and iv) common sense and problem solving skills;
11. Contract proposal: If the candidate, after completing all of the above recruitment steps with success, still seems to be a good and positive fit for the Healy Consultants team, he or she will then be offered a contract. It is here important that the candidate is made aware of the unique salary scheme and that the contract is to be negotiated with the Managing Director, Mr. Aidan Healy;
12. Start date and EP agreement: Following contract signing, Healy Consultants will agree start date and apply for an employment pass.

• What to look out for during the hiring process

  • Read between the lines. It’s not only what is being said or written that’s important, it is also HOW and WHEN it is being said or written
  • How fast does the candidate reply to emails? What is the style of the replies? The level of spoken and written English?
  • Take notice of the candidate’s attitude. At Healy Consultants we wish to be involved with people who have a positive outlook on life, is resilient to pressure and accumulating tasks. It’s vital that the candidate has a “can-do attitude” instead of a “cannot-do attitude”. The person with a can-do attitude will positively look for solutions, while the cannot-do attitude will look at the obstacles and problems and appear to be stuck. The ideal candidate has awareness of potential obstacles but immediately make suggestions for solutions to these obstacles;
  • During the phone interview, listen to the grammar, dialect, tone of voice, of the candidate. Is the candidate’s voice and English understandable and pleasant? Is he convincing in his arguments? Is she empathetic and polite? Does he understand the questions asked and give adequate answers? Consider if you would want to do business with this person over the phone or in person. If the answer is no, then this person will not be a good candidate for a job that requires contact with clients and sales;
  • During the personal interview, observe the candidate; how he or she appears, dress style, eye contact, body language, level of hygiene. It’s normal for a candidate to appear nervous at an interview, but if the level of stress is excessive, then the person will not be a good candidate for the job. Also take notice of the content of what is being said: Is the person more focused on what he will get out of the company, or is he more focused on what he can do for the company? The latter is obviously preferred;
  • References are important. If there are unclear points, don’t be afraid to contact the previous employer for more details or to give them a call at a convenient time for them. Always ask in advance if you can call them.

• Behaviors of Quality Candidates

  • Quality candidates reply to emails and complete required tasks in a timely manner;
  • They get on with the recruitment process and do what they are asked with minimum questions and without complicating the recruitment process;
  • Quality candidates resumes have few employers but long employment periods;
  • Quality candidates complete tasks in a super-fast and efficient manner;
  • Quality candidates write simple, concise emails;
  • They keep the recruitment process simple and make it seem easy;
  • They do not make complaints and look for negatives in the job description;
  • Quality candidates do not boast about how good they are, although a healthy level of confidence is desirable.