BY STUDYLIE - HR Profiling

Working with open information resources

Try and write your phone number, email address and name in Google or Yandex. Sometimes search engines find interesting and useful information, starting with where the candidates left their contacts, and ending with the fact that they had to do with a scandal or trial with the company they had worked for before.

We had a case when we ran a search on the email address of a candidate applying for a leadership position. The name of the email address was quite interesting: a set of letters in a special order with numbers. We found in free access information that a person with such a nickname (the name of the mail) plays online games for money, making large bets. The site had information on how often does the person with such a nickname play, how much does he lose and win. Thus, we received information about the risk factor, which, by the way, was confirmed. This candidate periodically got into gaming debts.

It is worth noting that Google or Yandex do not always give information about the phone numbers and mails. In this case, use other search engines, for example, duckduckgo.com and so on.

Open information sources also include the federal website of bailiffs (fssprus.ru). There is information about execution writs and debts of the candidate, about the arrested property and unpaid fines written by the traffic police patrol service. By the way, talking about the girl who had problems with alcohol (example above): on the website of the bailiffs we found that her property was seized, and she had enforcement proceedings worth up to 80,000 rubles.

Regarding debts, including the payment of alimony, there is data if the court has already passed, the decision was made and there is a writ of execution. This gives a certain characteristic of the candidate, especially if there are large debts. This testifies both to the attitude towards one’s obligations, and to a possible risk factor. A person burdened with debts will try to find ways to pay them off, including secret use of company resources. On the whole, a person who does not systematically fulfill his financial obligations is unlikely to behave differently in your company.

In short, with the help of such services you may protect yourself from risks when choosing a candidate. Of course, these issues are handled by the security service, the are not your responsibility. But if you have tools that make it easier for you to settle on a candidate and save time – why not using them?

In addition to search engines and the website of bailiffs, look for information on decisions of general courts, Magistrates courts and arbitration courts of the Russian Federation with the participation of a candidate as the plaintiff or the defendant. To do this, use a reference and legal system RosPravosudiye (rospravosudie.com), the site of the federal arbitration courts of the Russian Federation (arbitr.ru) and other similar sites. Thus you will know the candidate’s past and present court decisions, how often did he sue an employer, or how often was he sued.

Once again, search of information about a candidate with the use of open resources requires a creative approach. Sometimes useful information comes from unexpected sources. Therefore, the mentioned sites search list can be extended.

Working with information databases

If you have access to databases – counterparty checking services, such as SPARK, Kontur Focus, Prima Inform, you can find out if the candidate was (or is) the founder or CEO of any organization. Suppose we select a person for the post of top manager. He positions himself as an excellent manager, he was the owner of various businesses and projects, but liquidated them or resold them, because there were more interesting and profitable niches. So we look for information through the counterparty checking services and see an interesting picture: all the companies, where the candidate was the founder or CEO, turned bankrupt or were liquidated. In addition there were trials with other organizations, where he and his companies acted as a defendant for non-performance of duties, non-payment, etc. It is clear that the larger the organization is, the more court decisions it will face and the more it is able to pay. But if the organization is small and there are 100 court decisions against it, then this can hardly be a positive indicator. Besides, you may also draw certain conclusions about the management style of the person who headed the organization.

Useful resources include databases on offenses and convictions. Many security services use these databases. This allows to immediately identify malicious violators of the law. And you save time by not inviting potentially unreliable candidates. It is clear that not everyone has these databases (especially relevant ones). But if you have access to them, it is better to use them.

Of course, we did not mention all the databases and services that we work with. The main idea of the chapter is that in order to solve your problems, you should not neglect the existing possibilities.

So, we have considered the sources that should be used in your work, if you want to save time and increase the efficiency of recruiting.

So, you have compiled a position profile, selected CVs, found and analyzed information, and you already have a general idea of the candidate you need – about 60% of the full picture. Note that you have collected all these data at a preliminary stage, before meeting with a potential employee. A direct meeting with the candidate lies ahead.

The collection of information includes the study of many components. The person’s appearance (from the hairstyle to the neatness), the manner of communication, the use of certain words and terminology, punctuality, and behavioral characteristics are analyzed. At this stage, the metaprogram profile, the candidate’s psychotype, his values and beliefs are determined.

Appearance

Accuracy, practical clothing, fashion style, colors of the wardrobe give tips on the qualities and behavior of the candidate, as well as how he treats his official duties. Appearance can also suggest what kind of psychotype the candidate may be. Although we must bear in mind that people prepare themselves for the interviews and put on what is accepted. Manicure, makeup, hair, perfume also contribute to the study. All this gives food for analysis, but, of course, does not fully characterize a person.

Recently, we had a candidate who came to us for verification. At first glance, judging by his appearance, he could have been hysteroid type. He had a bright yellow jacket on, a trendy hairstyle, light stubble, and good physical shape. But when he timidly knocked the door, entered the room with a rickety walk, sat down on the edge of the chair, and began to speak in an apologetic tone with tenseness, the first impression dispelled. He looked like a anxiety-valetudinary type who tried overcompensate it. During the interview the candidate often asked again, agreed with the verifier, did not defend himself in response to provocations. So I ask him a control question (questions that cause an emotional reaction, questions of uncomfortable truth):

– Have you ever gossiped about your bosses?

– Yes, it happened (confused).

– So are you a gossip?

– It turns out that I am.

«I have such a bad habit, I constantly double-check everything several times,» the candidate admitted. He did sports, loved to read, wanted to become a writer, and even had first steps in this. One could feel in him a certain creativity, which brought some changes into his appearance and slight confusion. Appearance might be sometimes deceptive, so analyze it carefully, along with other components.