Fresh calls for the Football Association to re-think its recruitment processes after the Steve McClaren fiasco have been bandied about.
The association representing more than 10,000 private recruitment and staffing professionals, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), has called for the FA to:
- conduct negotiations for the job behind closed doors
- provide a clear brief and
- be open with candidates about the job specification at the very start of the recruitment process.
Surely this is all pretty regular recruitment practice you would expect as a new employee joining a company. So how come the football world has got away without it for so long? Is the football job market different to a normal 9-5 job?
Speaking at a news conference last week, after England's sorry loss to Croatia thus ruining their chances of qualifying to Euro 2008, FA chief executive Brian Barwick admitted errors were made in the recruitment of Steve McClaren and that the selection process would have to change.
But Paul Harper, chair of the Association of Executive Recruiters, a division of the REC, said:
“Being seen as second choice put Steve McClaren under pressure from day one. Discretion is key in recruitment and any negotiations should be done behind closed doors until a firm decision is made. For high profile organisations like the FA, headhunters can add real value by discretely approaching candidates to assess suitability and interest.”
He added: “The FA should also provide a clear brief and be open with candidates about the job specification at the very start of the recruitment process. Equally, it’s important that the headhunter is given a clear brief, realistic timescales to work in and privacy from the media to effectively carry out their search.”
Harper said all employers can learn from the Steve McClaren sacking – as “the wrong decision can result in serious financial loss” and reputation. Well, obviously.
So why did the FA get it so badly wrong? Should football coaches be treated any differently to other employees when it comes to recruitment?
Comments (1)
I beleieve recruitment for football managers should be no different to the process of any other job. Also, dont many jobs carry a 3 month probationary period? Not such a bad idea in this case.
IT Recruitment
Posted by Recruitment | March 11, 2008 10:05 AM
Posted on March 11, 2008 10:05