The first workshop we are running this year is our popular “How to Recruit Superstars”, and details of how you can come along are at the end of this blog.
We wanted to share some really important things to consider when it comes to recruitment. Yes, some may seem obvious, but they also get forgotten, or maybe not enough time is spent preparing for the interview process, which is why recruitment mistakes happen! So, here are our top 5 considerations to make when you are looking to recruit superstars into your business;
1. Write a clear job description.
It is so important that you are transparent about what you want and expect your employee to do, so Key Responsibility Area’s (KRA’s) of the role, detailing Key Skills or Behaviours 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 and behaviours 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 or want to place the advert on a job board. Plus, it’s a great idea to send the Job Description out to all candidates you intend to interview for the role.
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!
2. Make sure that you do not indirectly or directly discriminate against any protected groups as outlined by the Equality Act 2010 when advertising a role.
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.
This is where HR advice can really help as indirect discrimination is an easy mistake to make in an advert, and there are people out there reading job adverts, waiting to catch you out to apply and make a claim – trust me it happens, so don’t make this rooky mistake.
3. Prepare for the interview process
Remember the interview is a two-way process, and if you want to attract good quality candidates, make sure you prepare for the interview as this will create a great first impression for the candidate, and here’s what to think about.
Think about the questions you need to ask each candidate to ensure they have the right skills and behaviours to do the job, use your Job Description to help you create the right questions! Make a list of effective and open competency based questions, that allow the person to talk about what they have done, not what they would do! You need to know that the person you are hiring has experience of what you want them to do, so ask open, competency based questions, such as
- Please give me an example of 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 the person with the highest score could be offered the role or those with the highest scores are invited back to the second stage interview.
The scoring system will help you to give constructive feedback to those that were unsuccessful too. Make sure you keep all interview notes for at least 12 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 12 months to reach you!
4. Our 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 build rapport with the candidate and make them feel at ease and welcome.
Take the time to explain at the start of the interview process what is going to happen. 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 what the next steps/timelines are after the first interview.
You can include how many people you are seeing for the first interview and what date you will get back to them by telling them the outcome of the first interview.
If you know what date the second interviews are, 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, 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. Also ask them at this stage, what the most important thing is for them from their new job and their new employer.
These are all really important questions to ask at the first interview to ensure that you can match their expectations and understanding whether they are a good fit for your role/your company, should you wish to offer them a role.
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/behaviour required
2= Some evidence shown of the skill/behaviour required
3 = Good evidence shown of the skill/ behaviour required
4 = Excellent evidence shown of the skill/ behaviour required
5. How can we help you to recruit Superstars?
The best thing you can do is come along to our Recruiting Superstars Workshop on the 27th January at 9:30am in Kendal Business Hub. You can book your place here: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/503330062767
If you are not able to attend this event, it will be recorded and available online from the 30th January. Let us know if you would like us to send you the recording via hello@merakihr.com. Or you can book your Free Recruitment Audit here; and we can share the results with you to help you attract and recruit the best people for your business in 2023!
