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The Recruitment Process: Where Do You Start?
It’s fair to say that the job market is in a volatile state at the moment. With many skilled workers having turned to alternative roles to pay the bills during the pandemic, and the after-effects of Brexit now coming to fruition, finding the right candidate can seem like a never-ending battle.
So, what should you do when you’re recruiting someone new to your team?
Firstly, be realistic with the time it takes to employ someone. Writing the job ad, deciding how you’re going to advertise the role, screening candidates, conducting interviews and hopefully making an offer won’t happen overnight.
The Job Ad
A poorly written job ad will result in a poor response, or an influx of phone calls and emails asking further questions. Be specific. Outline exactly what the job entails so that potential candidates can make the decision whether or not to apply.
You’ll also need to prepare a role spec and potentially a person spec to send to applicants as part of the application pack.
Where Are You Advertising The Job?
As tempting as it may be, is Facebook really your best option? You’re investing in the future of your business so why would you want to cut corners on the advertising? It’s true to say that the old-school ad in the local paper/trade press has been replaced by digital advertising. You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to online job sites but how do you know you’re using the right one for your vacancy?
Screening The Candidates
Fingers crossed that you’ve received some CVs to go through. It’s time to get on with the short-listing process. A quick flick through between calls won’t cut the mustard. Minimise distractions such as emails and your mobile phone and devote some quality time to thoroughly read through the applications. If you have a person spec, cross-reference the skills on their CV with your requirements.
The jury’s out when it comes to looking at someone’s social media profiles as part of a job application. Whilst there’s no hard and fast rule about this, bear in mind that sites such as Facebook and Instagram aren’t designed as candidate screening tools. We all like to let our hair down occasionally and nobody should be put on the reject pile just because of a couple of party images on Facebook. LinkedIn may give you a better indication of your candidates’ business acumen and communication skills – but bear in mind that LinkedIn will inform your candidate that their profile has been viewed by you!
Once you have a shortlist for interviews, contact them to arrange a date and time. This can be done by email or telephone – or maybe both if the role includes telephone work, such as sales or customer service.
Nobody likes to be kept in the dark, so let the unsuccessful candidates know as soon as you can that their application won’t be progressed further.
Preparing For The Interviews
Believe it or not, so many interviewers fail to prepare, preferring to just ‘wing it’. How are your interviewees meant to get an equal and fair interview if you have no reference points to go by? Prepare a list of approx. 10 questions that you can ask each candidate, but also be ready to go off-script if the conversation dictates.
Again, remove distractions such as emails and phones. Ideally, a neutral room such as a meeting room makes the perfect interview space for both interviewer and interviewee.
The Interview
Greet your candidate with a smile. Don’t forget, they are interviewing you just as much as you are interviewing them. Make them feel at ease by asking how they are, did they find you OK etc, then set the scene by giving them a little bit of background about the company and the role for which they’ve applied.
Once the interview gets underway, follow the 80/20 rule – 80% listening and 20% talking. Give your candidate time to answer, and ask open-ended questions to garner conversation.
If you’re conducting several interviews in one day, it’s imperative that you stick to time. Keeping a candidate waiting will create just as much of a bad impression to them, as it would to you if they turned up 35 minutes late for their interview!
It’s All Too Much!
If you’re exhausted just reading the steps involved in recruiting, imagine how you’ll feel when it comes to actually doing it! The good news is that I have several ways in which I can help you when it comes to the recruiting process.
With a range of recruitment packages to suit businesses of differing sizes and budgets, Recruit123 can cover the basics of writing your job and advertising it for you on the relevant job boards (https://recruit-123.co.uk/our-packages/theexpress) right through to our Complete Package which covers shortlisting, screening, sector research, arranging interviews, contacting unsuccessful candidates and much more (https://recruit-123.co.uk/our-packages/thecompletepackage).
You can view all of our package options here - https://recruit-123.co.uk/our-packages
If the thought of interviewing makes you nervous – after all, it’s not something you do every day – I offer on-site assistance with interviews at either a half or full day rate. Or maybe you just need some coaching on how to improve your interview technique.
For more information on how Recruit123 can help you to find your dream candidate, please see our website, or feel free to get in touch via our social media channels.
