Recruitment process

For as long as it’s taken Swansway to define and instil its culture it has sought to establish an effective recruitment policy.

Leading the development is group HR manager Sarah Dyson.

She realised the company had been recruiting in the traditional, less then productive way of taking on people from within the sector that had been passed or moved on from ‘dealership to dealership’ and being satisfied with mediocrity, negatively affecting performance and staff turnover.

So last year she led the change.

Now recruitment starts with an online form of 12 “killer questions”, inspired by the cornerstones of pride, honesty and care.

Based on multiple choice, they include ‘Tell us about a workplace conflict you’ve experienced. How did you approach it?’; ‘If we were to phone a previous supervisor of yours now, what one or two words would they use to describe you?’ and ‘What have you done in the past few years to earn a better income?’.

The second stage is a more traditional questionnaire on experience, driving licence points, willingness to work weekends and IT literacy.

After vetting, applicants are then invited to send in a CV.

They are then given a telephone interview, focusing on the group’s values. So, ‘give an example of the last time you gave good customer service’, and ‘when you have coached a team member through a difficult time?’.

“There are three screening processes before we meet anyone,” Dyson said. “And a manager hasn’t looked at a CV.

“We’re looking for behaviours rather than a response at a given moment.”

The next stage is an induction, a half-day, where they take part in group exercises and role play.

A group scenario: ‘you are four sales executives and your company has a reward scheme. Without choosing a leader, decide a winner and a reserve for the prize holiday.’

At points during the 30-minute exercise, the group is given ‘disruptive’ information (such as one of those in the reward scheme wants to resign). Applicants are assessed during the resulting discussions.

An interview and the role play form part of the half-day.