Recruitment can be expensive both in terms of management time and costs. We all want to employ people who are competent, motivated, and productive, however, making a recruitment mistake can be both costly and damaging.
You may have experienced the results of a poor decision before now – with employees leaving after only a short time, never really gelling with your team, or not living up to their performance promise. On the other hand, you may have been running a business on your own, but now need some help – you may think employing someone involves too much red tape or you worry about the risk of things going wrong.
Many potential problems can be avoided by a robust recruitment process. Follow our ten top tips to avoid those recruitment headaches:
- Consider your options
Is there really a job to be filled, and if so, what does it look like? Too often, when someone leaves, the first thought is to quickly replace them, merely dusting off the old job description, but this is the perfect opportunity to examine the role, its responsibilities and outcomes. Create a new job description that is relevant to your current business needs and one that accurately portrays the targets and outcomes that you expect to be achieved.
- Be clear about the attributes you seek
Draw up a person specification. This will describe the person most competent for the role and will give you a set of criteria against which all candidates can be measured objectively. Emphasise the ‘essentials’ and be clear about the ‘desirables’ – it’s unlikely that you will find a candidate that ticks every box so remember which skills are necessary at the start and which ones can be developed over time. Keep in mind the advice ‘Recruit for attitude, train for skill.’
- Think about your company image
Even the smallest of businesses has an identity, and it is important to make sure that you give candidates a good impression from the start. It’s increasingly common for both employers and candidates to be checking each other out online and you want people to say good things about their experience with you. Treat applicants well; each step of the recruitment process will help them decide if they want to work for you, and while we like to think that there is a rich pool of people out there, it is equally true that it can be hard to find great people.
- Look for candidates in the right places
Most job adverts are now online, but it is still important to know your market and advertise accordingly. A good framework for an effective advert is:
A Attract – those looking for it: job title, location, salary
D Deter – unsuitable candidates: detail the essential criteria
I Interest – is this for me: organisation, job, environment
D Desire – sell the perks: the benefits, atmosphere, pension, career prospects
A Action – how to apply: write, email, complete forms, call.
- If possible, use an application form rather than relying on CVs alone
Using an application form makes it much harder for candidates to hide gaps in employment history and makes fair comparisons much easier. When reviewing these, ensure that the candidate has provided good quality examples of how they meet your criteria. Look for applicants that demonstrate how their experience and achievements can be applied to your role.
- Be systematic when shortlisting
This is a very important part of the recruitment process and although it can be time consuming, it is worth doing thoroughly. You don’t want to miss an excellent candidate or waste your time with someone who doesn’t meet your requirements. Consider using a shortlisting grid with clear scoring criteria.
- Plan the interviews
Whilst interviews are usually the main part of the selection process, they are often poorly planned and handled. Remember, the core of the interview process is the search for experience, skills, qualities and attributes relevant to the position. It is not an exercise in trying to trip up the candidate. Plan the questions and make sure that you know what a great answer would look like.
- Listen carefully to the answers
This allows you to pick up on comments and examples and glean further information, it also allows you to see the candidate more fully in terms of their personality and attitude. Use open, probing questions, and consider asking technical ones if relevant and possible. Try to avoid asking leading questions that give them idea of what you’re looking for in a good answer.
- Remember to measure the candidates against the job, not against each other
You don’t necessarily need the ‘best’ candidate, but the best one for the job. Equally, don’t be put off someone who you think is too experienced for the role, they may have good reasons for wanting this position and you may get 120% out of them in return. Don’t be afraid to ask people back for a second interview if you are still unsure.
- Never make an offer within the interview itself
Make an initial offer by phone and follow up with a formal written offer. Follow up references to make sure that your impressions were valid – doing this by phone is often more effective as employers are often less candid when putting things in writing.
