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New Year 1998
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In ten years of recruiting I have witnessed just about every 'ism' there could possibly be. Most of these come from inherent prejudices often instilled whilst in childhood. These are maintained by the food of ignorance. The questions are, have these changed over the past decade and how do they effect your ability to recruit?
Ten years ago the most popular 'isms' were sexism, both gender and persuasion, and racism. In many ways they still affect the recruitment arena today. Certainly we still hear of organisations that prefer to recruit white personnel or feel loath to promote members of ethnic minorities into positions of authority. In the main however, where ten years ago they were orally expressed, today with the vogue for 'political correctness' they are thought and implied with much more subtlety. This is largely due to the belief that it is a 'no-no' to be seen or heard or worse still labelled as a promoter of any form of 'ism'.
If we have seen any progressive movement it is in the realisation that women do and will continue to play an important role within the workforce. With the advent of crèches, play groups, after-school clubs etc it has become easier for women to organise their family obligations around normal full-time employment. Employers have also realised that women very often bring to the work environment a vast array of skill sets that can sometimes be lacking in their male counterparts, for example the ability to organise and manage numerous demands at the same time. By writing this I do not wish to imply that all men are incapable of handling many tasks at any given time but research supports that men generally can only think of one issue at a time whereas women very often can think of many.
Another reason for this apparent change is an 'ism' in itself. Women very often earn less than their male counterparts for undertaking identical employment and thus prove to be a cheaper source of labour.
But where some would acknowledge that we have seen movement on the sexism front, a recent landmark ruling from the European Court of Justice, that positive discrimination of women in jobs does not infringe sexual equality opportunity regulation, surely only encourages discrimination against men. I believe that we should all adopt the ethos of Christine Little, Chief Executive of the Federation of Recruitment and Employment Services, who says that "a person is chosen for a job on the basis of their qualifications and experience."
Moving on, the 'ism' that seems to be affecting business recruitment today - especially in the IT market - is ageism.
Sadly, if you find yourself without employment, over 45 (and in some case even younger) the chances of securing gainful employment at a level your experience supports are considerably reduced.
Why this should be is not always clear. In some cases employers will feel that once you have reached a certain age your ability to work hard and produce end results is compromised. Another failing often expressed is marriage and the concomitant sense of personal security it brings promulgates a decline in conscientiousness, flexibility and willingness to learn new skills. The world is not black and white so in some cases this may be true but I am inclined to believe that in reality this is not the case at all. In fact older applicants will in the main bring considerably more experience and skills to a position than younger contenders.
At this time you can find a pool of very keen and hungry mature applicants that are more committed - if only because of the 'isms' that they now find themselves labelled with. Surely when seeking new employees the main decision on whether a person is suitable or not depends on their experience and skills, not on their age.
Some would argue that younger people are less expensive. From a pure salary perspective this will be true, but once you add the training investment along with the learning curve that a lack of experience will present, then costs begin to rise considerably. This in turn will affect your bottom line.
So what must you do when briefing consultancies such as Prospectus with recruitment requirements?
Firstly, ensure you have a clear idea of what the role consists of and the skill sets prospective applicants will need to fulfil the brief. Once this has been done concentrate on the experience and skills applicants have and where they may fit within your brief. Do not fall into the mistake of assuming that if you have a young group and an older person's CV lands on your desk they would not fit into the team. Very often they can bring a stabilising and more sagacious approach to team work.
Avoid allowing yourself to question whether a female applicant will be able to manage a career as well as bring up children; male applicants very often have the same issues and are rarely asked such questions. Wait until the applicant is sitting in front of you and then ask the questions that concern you.
To remove all 'isms' from the recruitment process will take many years of education and learning, whilst trying not to adopt a whole new set of positive 'isms'. If we as recruiters and employers are to assist in this process we must ensure we forget the prejudices we may have and educate those clients who still maintain them. We are all aware that most of these are illegal but legislation will not take the place of education. So the next time you are seeking out a new employee, forget any 'isms' you may hold and you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by the outcome. After all, with today's skills shortages, can you afford 'isms'?
Joseph Irvine
Prospectus Computer Registrations
Last Updated: 09 November 1998