A Chat with DuluxGroup: Acting Fast on Impressive Candidates

Posted on March 2021 By Speller International
Acting Fast On Impressive Candidates

Having been in sales for over half his life there is one thing he has learned, time kills deals. Since making the move into recruitment Luke Day sees this more than ever.

When you consider the human nature of the recruitment industry, you quickly realise that candidates and clients both need to be moved along quickly through the recruitment process to give both sides confidence in one another.

This doesn’t mean you need to hire someone after your first meeting, but it does mean you should provide feedback to an interviewee within a reasonable time frame. If you have interviewed a candidate and you don’t provide feedback or next steps until a week later, the initial excitement for the opportunity will be lost and the level of interest likely plummets.

Having worked very closely with the DuluxGroup for a number of years, I spoke with Mathew Clements on the importance of moving quickly. Mathew has been responsible for over 30 contractor hires over the last 2 years and the process we created together was so watertight, he was typically in a position to hire hours after meeting a consultant for the first time.

How important do you think it is to move quickly after interviewing an impressive candidate and why?

Moving quickly is important for both the candidate and the organisation. It gives them confidence in us and our processes and we get the certainty of resource.

How many interviews do you typically require to hire an SAP contractor?

For me, it’s usually 2 or 3. The collaboration I’ve had with Speller has been such that the candidates being put forward have been of a very high standard. The conversations between Luke and I have been detailed and my expectations have been clearly communicated. To his credit, Luke has captured these well and always exceeded my expectations.

What can be done from the client side to make sure you are in a position to make a quick decision after an interview?

Essentially, have all your ducks in a row early. Understand your budget and have it signed off. Know the characteristics you require from your candidate, both technically and how they work with others. Have a mix of technical questions and those that give you a feel for how they go about their work ready.

Having hired and built such a large team of SAP contractors over the last 12 months, have you regretted making quick decisions?

None at all. The people we’ve brought in cover a broad range of skillsets from functional analysts, ABAP programmers and security. The quality of these people has been of the highest standard.

They have contributed to the delivery of our new POS solution, the implementation of an SBU into our ECC6 environment, multiple enhancements and are in the final phases of two acquisitions coming into our environment. Some have also moved to other areas not originally planned for. During a period of significant change in our IT delivery model, they have brought new ideas and approaches to work that set us up nicely for the future.

They’ve also worked amongst a frantic atmosphere where so much is being done. All of them have conducted themselves professionally and friendly. They really have slotted in amongst the broader team effortlessly. A lot of them are getting noticed from people in our business and the feedback on them has always been positive.

If you could give advice to any hiring managers out there when interviewing and onboarding a new consultant, what would it be?

Be clear on what you’re after and prepare accordingly. Approach a conversation in much the same way you would an interview for an FTE. Get specific examples of what they’ve delivered and how they’ve gone about it. Also, be honest about what they are coming into. I’ve told a couple of candidates that they are being dropped into busy projects. You always want to set realistic expectations, so asking them if they’re ok to be dropped into the deep end will give you a good feel for them based on their response.

In conclusion, my advice to hiring managers out there (more so for contracting resources) is have everything you need in line to make a decision within 24 hours of meeting a candidate. This includes having sign off for the role, a list of questioning that will truly identify whether this resource fits into your specific plans, and include anyone else that needs to be a part of the decision at the beginning of the process.

The result? You will attract top talent and avoid missing out to companies that were ready to hire from the beginning of the process.

Do you have any advice on acting fast on impressive talent you’d like to share? Feel free to comment on our LinkedIn page, and don’t forget to follow us for SAP news, updates and information about the Speller Team.