Human Capital - Human Factor

I am not exactly sure when HR leaders became "too busy" to do what "HUMAN RESOURCES" is supposed to do (ergo.. Human Resources)? Hiring is only a small part of our job, but it is one of the most important responsibilities as well. I mean a company is only as great as the employees that make it run, right? HR needs to be savvy getting the interest of those looking for work and get the detail out to the marketplace timely. We should be reviewing the applications, searching for the perfect applicant, rounding up the best candidates to make sure we have the very best narrowed down to that perfect few! Call me old school but I do not want some software choosing my future leaders because the applicant knew to throw a few key words in, no thank you! It is very disconcerting to me that the larger companies have actually followed this lead. Most of them actually. I am somewhat satisfied that HR leaders in our larger companies are making some real money and getting increases yet entrusting an application to choose the perfect fit for the job. It never ceases to amaze me how we can depend on technology to the point where, we as professionals may not even know the first thing about real HR and principles in the next 10 years. My research shows it takes more time to figure out how to beat the robot and give it what is needed to get through, yet I am giving it what it wants, not telling you who I am and what I can do for your company's future success.

I remember when my daughters were in middle school, many years ago. One day they came home from school and started doing the math homework assignment that was due the next day. Such good girls, right? When I checked in on them I think I may have blown a slight gasket when I saw them using a calculator, you betcha, I took it away and explained that they needed to use their brain to figure out the basic math. If they depended on the calculator, how would they ever learn the basic multiplications or common math additions etc.? How could they review their work and verify its accuracy if they did not know basic math? Yes, I actually removed the calculator from the room and helped them with any questions. That weekend, before any fun in the sun (we live in Florida) they were to stay home and memorize the basic multiplication tables... 2x2=4, 3x3=9, 4x4=16 and so on. When I was waitressing at our family restaurant, (again many many years ago) my brother in law decided to double check our tickets at the end of the day to make sure the math was correct. There were 6 of us daygirls and only two of us used our brain to add up the tickets, tax and all. The rest of the girls always used a calculator, guess what, you got it, the two of us that used our noggin were the only ones with no mistakes in the math or tax calculation. The girls who used the calculator had no clue if the total was correct or not because they never learned basic math skills. OK, so now I have vented! My point being, if we move forward with the Resume Robots, the new generation of HR will not have any human factor skills or have the first clue on what is important and how to look for it. I have always said resumes are great, but they can be bought, made up or copied off the internet, why would you rule out an applicant because programming software said so? This scares me more than a little. I had an interview, not too long ago with a HR Director at a large company in the healthcare industry. Here are my impressions of the experience... First impression..., she forgot our call, so I emailed her (1 hour later) and rescheduled for the following day (at her convenience of course). Second Impression: She did call me about 10 min late but maybe she was in the middle of something, I can appreciate that! She started out telling me the definition of the job which I had in front of me. Third Impression was the 20 general questions the robo-system recommends, (they are the same at most companies now) but unless you hold a Psychology degree, you really have no authority trying to interpret my answers or the vocabulary I used, Fourth Impression: basically, read my resume to me and asked me if it was accurate. She was honest about being unprepared but after doing this for a year, it should come somewhat naturally, and being in HR the last 10 years, I really wondered if she lost her know-how. It is really a shame!

I have always been a people person and very good at first impressions, almost spot-on, but after this experience I can say I am a firm believer in the talent acquisition process from posting to hiring. If the company wants Human Capital (moneymakers) then how can they trust a computer program to promise this, it really boggles the mind. If you file an application for employment with my company, I will promise (if it is still permitted), to talk to you, look you in the eye, read your body language and see what you have to offer us and what we, as a company can offer you. No robots allowed! Bring the HUMAN back to the Human Resources Dept.

SpeakMyMind.. BVAV