Odusola: Tackling Difficult Recruitment Problems Requires Meticulous Processes

Ms. Elizabeth Odusola is the CEO of BASS & Co., a human resources and recruitment agency. In this interview with Vanessa Obioha, Odusola who has worked in England, Romania and Qatar, explains meticulous but delicate recruitment processes

What have you been doing lately?

I am a consultant at BASS & Co. I am a qualified HR professional, with consultancy experience of over
six years in England, Romania and Qatar. I have widespread experience working with businesses to identify commercial solutions to organisational
changes. I manage many complex employee issues on behalf of clients, utilising my coaching qualifications and skills to achieve the desired
solution. I am able to provide guidance on how to improve the robustness of recruitment processes by the use of psychometric testing and competency based interview processes.

How did you manage your career in Qatar?

In Qatar, I was providing advice and support on a wide variety of human resources issues both remotely and on site for the Qatar Government. As well as drafting contracts and handbooks, I worked with
government institutions to develop implementation plans to introduce new contracts and policies. I also resolved performance issues, managed disciplinary and grievance meetings and assisting with day to
day HR queries such as maternity rights and flexible working.

What is BASS & Co. all about and how do you work ?

BASS & Co. is for small businesses, with little or no in-house HR expertise, we are their outsourced HR department. We enable business owners to be more
systematic and strategic about the role that people play in the success of a company. By helping our clients control expenses, minimise risk exposure and maximise their opportunities for revenue generation. We help SMBs succeed by taking care of the things that could be distracting them from the bigger picture.
We view our role in the recruitment process as one of partnership with an SMB to find the best person to fulfil their need and to a job seeker to secure the role best matching their search criteria. We support
both applicant and employer throughout the whole recruitment cycle, remaining flexible at all times.
We have various approaches within our recruitment department. The approach used depends on the assignment agreed with the client. In general, we
develop a profile for the job opportunity, a shortlist of candidates is drawn up by our recruitment associates who have selected candidates from our database or selected individuals that have emailed
their CV to us following a job opportunity we announced. Following our screening and selection procedure we then forward the selected candidates
for a final interview with our client.

What’s the advantage of using BASS & Co.?

The operational procedures of BASS & Co. ensure we have a strong relationship with clients, therefore enabling us to offer candidates detailed information regarding the organisation and opportunity available
before an interview. We work with our candidates to prepare them for their final interview by offering advice and providing them with information on the history and culture of our client’s organisation.

BASS & Co. is here to sell their candidature in the screening stages and is there to negotiate on the candidate’s behalf if they succeed to the later stages of an interview. BASS & Co. has exclusive access to a number of jobs individuals may not find through an online search. There are numerous advantages. However, we would like candidates to know that it is important to use BASS & Co. as part of their search rather than depend on them solely to secure a position.
In regards to our clients, as well as advertising our vacancies as necessary, irrespective of the job we are recruiting for, we invariably use search and selection techniques to ensure we find the best person for the
job.

Recruitment agencies tend only to provide this extra service for their most senior vacancies and on a retained basis. In addition to this, we are very flexible in our approach and where skills are in particularly short supply.
Not only do we think outside the box and constantly think about how we will do things better or in a more creative way for clients, we also focus a tremendous amount on our candidates. When clients ask us for ideas on how we tackle difficult recruitment problems. For example, sourcing candidates in a very tight market, we have come up with some very creative suggestions, many of which we implement. We have done this time and time again for a wide range of clients in Nigeria’s diverse market sectors, who all have one thing in common: a need for employees with the right skills to effectively contribute to the success of their organisation.  BASS & Co. delivers without the typical associated costs.

How can one get a CV on your database?
If an individual is interested in using BASS & Co. as part of their career search and would like to be considered as a BASS & Co. recruitment candidate when suitable job vacancies arise, they are required to email their CV to cv@bassandco.com.ng. Once a recruitment associate has reviewed their credentials, if their qualifications and experience appear to meet
our needs, we’ll be in contact to arrange a BASS & Co. recruitment database interview.
Following the successful interview discussing their background and career goals we then add the individual to our database and then contact the
individual when potentially suitable job opportunities
arise.

Can a job seeker sign with more than one recruitment agency?

Of course! There is nothing to stop a job-seeker using more than one agency. In fact, this way they have access to more job vacancies. However,
jobseekers should ensure their CV is not submitted to the same employer for the same position by more than one recruitment agency. We advise against this because duplications of your CV can make a job-seeker look like they are desperate to get a job rather than appearing selective and professional. It is best for candidates to always ask their recruitment agency representative to inform them of when they have forwarded their CV to any client and the jobseeker should keep a note of the organisation name and the date their details were submitted.
Looking at the employment sector in Nigeria, we believe that registering with recruitment agencies is definitely about balance. A candidate should take the approach of ensuring they have signed up with enough recruitment agencies where they will secure work, while making sure the amount of recruitment agency relationships they have is manageable.

What type of organisations does BASS & Co. tend to recruit for?

We have expert recruitment knowledge for the following industries; trades & services, hospitality & tourism, administration & office support, media & creative, marketing & PR, sales, retail & consumer products, real estate & property, legal, education & training, accounting, call centre & customer service, HR & recruitment, sports & recreation and domestic.

How do you select the candidates that goes forward for job interviews?
BASS & Co.’s Recruitment Selection Process is meticulous. Recruitment associates assigned to the ‘new client assignment’ attend a ‘briefing’. The
briefing aids recruitment associates in understanding the selection criteria for the position and outline the competency areas on which each recruitment associate should focus. As a team, recruitment associates develop interview questions based on selection criteria and competencies prior to contacting suitable candidates.

All selected candidates are cross-checked by all associates involved in the assignment and then contacted for client interviews. Our process may seem rigorous, however, a rigorous candidate selection process will, in most cases, assure a skilled employee.