Many of you will have started the year thinking about what new hires you need to make this year to help you achieve your business goals post Covid19. But if any of you have tried to recruit recently, it’s pretty tough isn’t it? I’ve been doing my role for over 20 years and this is certainly the toughest recruitment market that I have ever seen, so you need to be at the top of your game if you want to attract the best people to your business.
Here are my top 5 considerations to make when you look at recruitment.
Write a clear job description.
It is so important that you are transparent about what you expect your employee to do, so Key Responsibility Area’s (KRA’s) of the role, detailing Key Competencies or Skills needed to perform in the role effectively are very important to include.
Ask someone else to read it just as a sense check, and if they can tell you what the person will be doing in their role and what skills they need, then you have written a good Job Description.
The Job Description will also help you write a good advert for attracting the right candidates to apply for the role or if you are briefing a recruiter.
Make sure when you advertise the role, that you do not indirectly or directly discriminate against any protected groups as outlined by the Equality Act 2010.
A discrimination claim can be brought against an employer, not just by an employee, but also by prospective employees’ if you are seen to discriminate in the recruitment process.
Finally, the Job Description will also help you to set objectives for the new person right from Day 1 – start as you mean to go on.
Prepare for the interview process
Remember the interview is a two-way process, and if you want to attract good quality candidates prepare for the interview and here’s what to think about.
Think about the questions you can ask at interview and make a list of effective and open questions that relate to to the key skills or behaviours outlined in the Job Description. Ask open, competency based questions, such as;
Tell me abut a time when you have had to work to a tight deadline?
When was this?
What work was it that you had to do?
Why was it important to be delivered by a certain date and what was the outcome?”
Ask each candidate the same questions to ensure you demonstrate a fair, unbiased, non-discriminatory recruitment process. You can then score each question, and then create a shortlist of the best candidates to invite back to the second stage interview.
The scoring system will help to give constructive feedback.
And keep all interview notes for at least six months as candidates can take up to 3 months to make any employment tribunal claims for discrimination, but the tribunal backlog of cases may mean it takes up to 6 months to reach you!
Top Tips for First Interviews
Have two people from the business in the interview process. One of you to concentrate on making notes and one can focus on asking the questions. The note taker is simply writing down what they hear from the candidate, thus keeping the notes factual and unbiased.
Try to make the candidate feel relaxed You want the candidate to be relaxed and at ease so that you see the “real” person, so use the start of the interview to help them feel welcome.
Take the time to explain at the start what the interview is going to involve. Tell them how long the interview will take, and that you are looking for them to give you real life examples of work and experiences rather than talk theoretically about them. It’s also important that you explain the next steps after the first interview.
You can include how many people you are seeing for first interview and what date you will get back to them by to tell them the outcome of the first interview.
If you know what date the second or third interviews, then ask them if they would be available if they were selected.
What do they understand the role they are applying for to be This can be a very telling first question and ensures that the candidate fully understands the role and what will be expected of them. Once you have asked your prepared questions, again ask the candidate if they have any questions for you.
Finally check on the following…check what salary they currently earn, and if they receive any benefits and lastly what their notice period is.
These are all really important questions to ask at first interview to ensure that you can match their expectations should you wish to offer them a role, later down the line.
A final scoring process you can apply for each candidate will help you to create your shortlist for 2nd or 3rd stage interview follows:-
1 = Little or no evidence shown of the skill required
2= Some evidence shown of the skill required
3 = Good evidence shown of the skill required
4 = Excellent evidence shown of the skill required
If you’re worried about making recruitment mistakes, or finding that you are not hiring the right people, then why not book a call with us to discuss how we can help you to improve or refine your recruitment process to make sure you are attracting and hiring the best people!
