consultant. “But we’re going to bring down the success rate for our recruits. I always think of the guarantee we give businesses. If the recruit isn’t suitable or resigns within six months of being taken on, we must provide a replacement candidate. Excuse me, Thomas,” she said, turning toward her colleague, “but I recall that it’s your clients who have made the greatest call on that guarantee. For me, it happens very rarely.”
“I don’t want to leap to Thomas’s defense; he has no need of it,” said Larcher. “But the cost of renewing his defective candidates is tiny compared to the gain in turnover he contributes.”
“But that’s not in our clients’ interests!” said Alice angrily. “And therefore, in the long term, it’s not in ours either. It damages our image.”
“Clients don’t hold it against us, I can assure you,” Larcher countered. “They know we can’t control human nature. Ours is an inexact science. Nobody can be sure of choosing the right candidate all the time.”
We were careful not to reply, as Larcher’s smiling face swept the room.
After a moment, David, the longest-serving member of the team, dared to remark, “What’s not so obvious is that our interview process is long, and we can’t help it if our candidates don’t always get to the point in the shortest possible time. We can scarcely cut them off, can we?”
“That’s where I’ve got good news for you,” said Larcher, triumphantly. “Luc, tell us your second conclusion.”
Luc Fausteri spoke without looking at us, his eyes fixed on his papers. “I’ve said that the average length of Thomas’s interviews is noticeably less than that of the less commercially successful consultants. Analyzed more precisely, the figures reveal something else: The duration of the face-to-face interview is especially short for the candidates who don’t go through to the final phase.”
“In other words,” Larcher interrupted, “if you spend less time with the dead losses, you’ll have more time to spend canvassing. Shorten the interviews as soon as you realize that the person doesn’t fit the vacancy. There’s no point in going on.”
An embarrassed silence around the table.
“In any case, you won’t be giving them the job, so there’s no need to have scruples,” Larcher said.
Embarrassment gave way to general unease.
“I don’t quite agree.”
All eyes turned toward me. I didn’t often speak in meetings, and never to express my disapproval. I decided on a soft approach. “I think what you suggest is not in the interest of our firm. A candidate who doesn’t suit a post that’s to be filled today will perhaps fit one we have tomorrow. We have everything to gain, in the long run, from developing a pool of candidates who value our interviews and have confidence in us.”
Larcher moved to regain the upper hand. “As far as that’s concerned, no need to worry, my friends. I can reassure you that in this climate—and it’s not about to change—there are far more candidates than vacancies to be filled, and we don’t need to run after them. Rattle a dustbin and ten fall out. You only have to bend down and pick them up.”
A wave of sniggering went around the room.
Summoning all my courage, I said, “As far as I’m concerned, I’m attached to certain ethics. We’re not a company that recruits for its own benefit. Our job is to fill others’ needs. Therefore, our mission goes beyond the simple selection of a candidate, and I think it’s our role to advise those who don’t fit the profile of the moment. It’s our social responsibility, you might say. In any event, it’s what makes my job one I like.”
Larcher listened, still smiling, but as happened every time his interests were threatened, his expression changed imperceptibly; his smile became a little carnivorous.
“I think, my friends, that Alan has forgotten he works for Dunker Consulting and not for Mother Teresa.”
He started to
“I don’t want to leap to Thomas’s defense; he has no need of it,” said Larcher. “But the cost of renewing his defective candidates is tiny compared to the gain in turnover he contributes.”
“But that’s not in our clients’ interests!” said Alice angrily. “And therefore, in the long term, it’s not in ours either. It damages our image.”
“Clients don’t hold it against us, I can assure you,” Larcher countered. “They know we can’t control human nature. Ours is an inexact science. Nobody can be sure of choosing the right candidate all the time.”
We were careful not to reply, as Larcher’s smiling face swept the room.
After a moment, David, the longest-serving member of the team, dared to remark, “What’s not so obvious is that our interview process is long, and we can’t help it if our candidates don’t always get to the point in the shortest possible time. We can scarcely cut them off, can we?”
“That’s where I’ve got good news for you,” said Larcher, triumphantly. “Luc, tell us your second conclusion.”
Luc Fausteri spoke without looking at us, his eyes fixed on his papers. “I’ve said that the average length of Thomas’s interviews is noticeably less than that of the less commercially successful consultants. Analyzed more precisely, the figures reveal something else: The duration of the face-to-face interview is especially short for the candidates who don’t go through to the final phase.”
“In other words,” Larcher interrupted, “if you spend less time with the dead losses, you’ll have more time to spend canvassing. Shorten the interviews as soon as you realize that the person doesn’t fit the vacancy. There’s no point in going on.”
An embarrassed silence around the table.
“In any case, you won’t be giving them the job, so there’s no need to have scruples,” Larcher said.
Embarrassment gave way to general unease.
“I don’t quite agree.”
All eyes turned toward me. I didn’t often speak in meetings, and never to express my disapproval. I decided on a soft approach. “I think what you suggest is not in the interest of our firm. A candidate who doesn’t suit a post that’s to be filled today will perhaps fit one we have tomorrow. We have everything to gain, in the long run, from developing a pool of candidates who value our interviews and have confidence in us.”
Larcher moved to regain the upper hand. “As far as that’s concerned, no need to worry, my friends. I can reassure you that in this climate—and it’s not about to change—there are far more candidates than vacancies to be filled, and we don’t need to run after them. Rattle a dustbin and ten fall out. You only have to bend down and pick them up.”
A wave of sniggering went around the room.
Summoning all my courage, I said, “As far as I’m concerned, I’m attached to certain ethics. We’re not a company that recruits for its own benefit. Our job is to fill others’ needs. Therefore, our mission goes beyond the simple selection of a candidate, and I think it’s our role to advise those who don’t fit the profile of the moment. It’s our social responsibility, you might say. In any event, it’s what makes my job one I like.”
Larcher listened, still smiling, but as happened every time his interests were threatened, his expression changed imperceptibly; his smile became a little carnivorous.
“I think, my friends, that Alan has forgotten he works for Dunker Consulting and not for Mother Teresa.”
He started to
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