IN MY OPINION – RECRUITMENT DES FRANCIS
I had a dream... A bout to return to optics after a four-year absence, I wasn't surprised to be rudely awoken at 4.50am by a poignant dream. So much was swirling around in my head – mainly due to fear, anxiety, Covid and the unknown related to how the industry would have changed. Little did I realise that the dream was trying to tell me something about my recent encounters.
suitability for the role. He bombarded me with his expectations and the company's needs and requirements. There were no questions relating to me, my feelings or suitability for the job. My reaction to this erupted from a position of anxiety and nervousness, progressing to sheer anger and annoyance. In my dream, I demanded to have the interview I deserved – insisting that the process be a fairer, more
SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEWS SHOULD BE A TWO-WAY STREET
As I chartered the recruitment process for my return to optics, I had been taken aback to find myself being treated as a 'newcomer' to optics – rather than an experienced dispensing optician with knowledge and experience dating back to 1987. This had made me feel out of touch and out of date with advancing technology – and astutely aware of how I was being assessed as a potential employee. Whilst out of the profession, I worked in many unskilled roles whilst caring part-time for my mother. One of my bosses was particularly unapproachable and only interested in the business and himself. He had zero regard for me, my ideas, concerns or feelings. The working relationship broke down after eight weeks, and it was totally unfulfilling on all sides. In my dream, this ex-boss sat facing me – firing off questions about my
26
DISPENSING OPTICS MARCH 2022
structured two-way interaction. To my surprise, after initial resistance and anger, my ex-boss began to see the sense in having an open, clear and equal dialogue. He realised that, in the longrun, this was needed for a positive and productive working relationship. Of course, this was only a dream– but it helped me recognise that my interviews in the real world were actually very one-sided. I was not being allowed to express myself nor truly understand whether or not the potential employer and I would be a good fit. Something needed to change in order to make the recruitment process much less of a lottery.
A PERSONAL APPROACH In my opinion, any recruitment and/or interview process should have a clear set of structured and relevant questions; ideally reciprocated and open. This is not
just to ascertain one's academic skills or practical knowledge, but to delve more into each party's personality. In any relationship, it is necessary to learn about interests, motivation, fears, likes and dislikes, expectations and so on. A developing working relationship is no different – because a sense of ease, familiarity and openness allows learning to become easier in the long-term. We become more capable by feeling we can learn in a positive environment, leading to greater job satisfaction and productivity. This thinking, and my recent recruitment process experiences, led me to devising a sample set of questions for any first interview process: 1. If not this job, what other job would you like to apply for? 2. Three years ago, what were you doing and how have you changed? 3. What gives you the most satisfaction in your work nowadays? 4. What do you find most difficult in the workplace? 5. What aspect of your work do you feel you do best? 6. Outside of work, what gives you the most pleasure and satisfaction? 7. What are your aspirations for the future? 8. Who do you admire most – and dislike most – in the world and why? 9. What has been your greatest achievement and worst disappointment? 10. If you had one wish, what would it be? The above questions allow barriers to be relaxed and a lot of very useful information to be gained in terms of character and personality traits. Both parties can be open and equal, and already a bigger picture can emerge. It's a structured way to build a solid personal foundation prior to deciding whether compatibility exists, before moving on to more specific questions about job suitability.
