News release - October 2005

Recruitment model for black graduates ‘deeply flawed’

Using long-established models to recruit black graduates is ‘deeply flawed’ and does not reflect the realities of South Africa today.

So says Lindi Mati-Grootboom, psychologist and Managing Director of Kheta, one of South Africa’s leading skills recruitment and competency assessment consultancies that finds, evaluates and places graduates for business and learnership programmes with companies like ABI, VW, SAB and MTN.  

“If you consider that most graduates use the internet to browse and apply for jobs, the lack of these resources in townships means that black graduates are missing out and so are employers as they don’t even know who is in the market and may not be choosing from the best candidates.

“And even traditional recruitment agencies with black graduates on their books need to engage in some sort of skills readiness for black job seekers before they send them into a world and culture that is often very different from theirs.”

Mati-Grootboom notes that many black graduates are thrown into an interview situation without a rudimentary understanding of fundamental ‘soft’ life skills like communication skills, assertiveness techniques, work etiquette and presentation skills - or even without being sensitised to what the corporate world will expect from them.

“This is especially true of graduates that have come from townships schools or rural communities and have not had the benefit of being educated in multi-cultural, wealthier schools that often have life skills orientation programmes.

“Recruiters should therefore implement short programmes to help black graduates understand the world they are entering and to be informed of the cultural differences and norms. It will also provide a yardstick to assess what skills an applicant has and what they need to focus on.

“It will not only empower them perform better in interviews, but also throughout their careers.

“For example, black people will often not look a senior person in the eyes as a mark of respect. But if they do that in an interview or at work, it may be perceived as lacking in confidence or even shiftiness.

“Another instance of potential work misunderstanding is the African concept of ‘Ubuntu’ – or engaging with and helping other people. When people act this out in a corporate environment, it may be seen that they are too accommodating and not aggressive enough. It could even be seen as ingratiating behaviour.”

Mati-Grootboom says that while many learners do have access to life skills through their educational institutions, many are so focused in academic performance that they don’t take them seriously enough.

“I encourage all learners to take every opportunity they get to bolster their soft skills. An employer places huge importance on aptitudes not taught in a formal curricula and it really can make the difference between getting a great job and being unemployed.”

Ends

Issued by Renee Schonborn Publicity

For Kheta

For more information contact Renee Schonborn on (011) 886 5434 or Lindi Mati-Grootboom on (011) 442 0162