Rethinking recruitment to get ahead

This session looked at how to rethink recruitment: candidate communication, the candidate experience, and how to identify and assess soft skills fairly. HRreview editor Amelia Brand hosted Phil Mellows-Facer of BMS Performance and Kira van Niekerk of Thomas.

Phil Mellows-Facer, Managing Director, BMS Performance; Kira van Niekerk, Global Director of Training and Enablement, Thomas. Hosted by Amelia Brand, HRreview.

Key takeaways

Reply to every applicant, not just the ones you want to see

Phil Mellows-Facer said communication often stops once someone is unsuccessful. A simple acknowledgement, and a rejection that points people to your careers site for future roles, is often not done at all, and every interaction shapes how the market sees you as an employer.

Set out the process at the start and stick to it

Tell candidates how many interviews there will be and what each stage involves; candidates are put off when two interviews turn into four or five. Give feedback at each stage, including concerns you plan to explore next time, and keep the hiring manager involved rather than leaving it all to HR.

Test for skills, not for industry experience

Mellows-Facer described a sales interview question so full of industry jargon that no outsider could score well on it. Once it was rewritten in plain terms, one candidate gave a strong answer based on managing money at university. In the same client's role plays, people from outside the industry did better than those from inside it.

Make the exercise match the job

Mellows-Facer questioned the use of presentations unless the role involves presenting. For a salesperson booking appointments by phone, run a phone role play. Give everyone the same brief, the same time and the same scoring criteria so you compare like with like.

Define the soft skills your organisation needs, not just your industry

Kira van Niekerk said two firms in the same sector can need very different behaviours: someone who needs structure may struggle in a fluid, project-based culture. Structured interviews give every candidate a fairer experience. Beware hiring a version of yourself.

Offer support early, and ask candidates for feedback

Van Niekerk advised giving candidates a chance to ask for support at the start of the process, rather than asking them to disclose a condition just before an assessment. Gathering feedback from all applicants, for example with a short survey, shows where your process is failing.

22 Oct 2026 · Phil Mellows-Facer, Managing Director, BMS Performance

Stop asking candidates to present

Unless the job involves presenting, an interview presentation tests the wrong thing. Test the work itself instead.

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