Business Article - Business Recruitment Advice
Recruitment is one of the single most important area of building a solid business. Yet, it seems less money is spent on recruitment departments in companies than ever. There are some definite advantages to doing your own recruiting, and certainly, building a trusted and skilled team is the backbone of any business.
Consider exactly what you need
Recruitment will be made easier if you are clear about the business needs and how you utilize staff. Do you really need to recruit a new staff member? Perhaps a current employee can take on some extra hours or combine tasks. If you do recruit new staff be clear about what their duties will be. Nothing can bring a company to pieces faster than if a new employee muscles in on someone else’s area.
Be honest about your requirements
Don’t advertise for a part time employee with some extra hours if you know the ‘extra hours’ will be enough for a full time position. Be very clear about the terms your are offering in the job, and check into your legal responsibilities and jot down details. All of this can speed up the process dramatically. Plus it won’t look very professional if you can only answer “award wages” if you are questioned on pay rates, and you need to look up specific answers.
Also take some time to analyze
Why you need to recruit staff? Is this a completely new area you are building into your business? Perhaps you need to replace a staff member who has left, or your duties have increased, so you want to lighten the load. Once clearly defined, your needs will become clear, and the recruitment method will seem less cryptic.
Three main avenues for recruitment are available
Have a budget for a recruiting team, have a budget for a recruiting agency, or do it all yourself. If you intend to do your own recruiting the greatest factor is time lost in the screening applicants. The process from position vacant advertisement to hiring, can be a long one. You may get an avalanche of applications to sort, or you may get only a few unsuitable candidates. In which case you will need to run the advertisement again, and hope for better applicants.
Advertising can be simple and cheap
A Help Wanted sign in the window costs nothing. A full page color page in a nationwide magazine costs thousands.
Obviously the latter would be excessive to find someone to put price stickers on, and unload trucks once a week. So do think about what level of exposure you will need to attract the best possible people for the position. Generally, if you want top of the line professionals, you will need to match a salary package to reflect that. Qualifications and experience don’t come cheap.
Consider your options
Getting large amounts of replies uses time screening letters. And who is running your business while your are in lock down during reading and interviews. So one might naturally feel a recruitment agency is money better spent. Cutting through red tape and getting presented with a few handpicked possibilities can be very efficient. But again there are a few problems that arise. Is the agency reliable, will they head hunt staff from your company?
The answers can often lie somewhere in between
How a business deals with recruitment depends wholly on what the position vacant entails, and usually the size of your company. Expendable cash will always play a major role in recruitment as will the time factor. Big companies have big budgets and so on, down the line. But no matter the size of your business, quality employees are essential.
If you are considering running your own recruitment program, or appointing a team here are some points to make it run more smoothly, and ultimately save time.
- Be very clear about what is expected from the potential candidate. Brief overviews of job requirements will lead to you getting bombarded with questions from people considering applying.
- Know what your deal breakers are and stick with them. Whether you get one lonely application, or one thousand, know in your own mind exactly what you want and what you don’t want. Try to not make emotional decisions at this point.
- Don’t be tempted to recruit someone because you really need someone now and only a neighbor and your best friend’s mother’s brother’s friend dropped a few names and expressed interest. Do yourself a favor and learn how to say no.
- Do check references and qualifications. Just because it is written on paper does not mean it is true. Also don’t dismiss a candidate who has experience over formal qualifications. If they are honest, and have a solid background in the industry, then you can offer them the opportunity to train for the needed formal qualifications on the job.
- Set aside enough time for the interview process for each candidate. Be clear here about expectations as well. Give them directions on how to find you, request notification if they are unable to attend or will be late, or need to set another time. Have a list of questions ready and look professional, candidates will also be sampling you as a good fit for them.
- Jot down the things that impress you and those that don’t. This can help speed up the process of elimination if you need to do this again.
Many of these same principals apply if you use a recruitment agency. Do your research, ask around colleagues, speak with people who have used them. For a recruitment agency to match a suitable candidate to you, they will need to be a good match for you.
Find out how they screen clients, do they check background and references, are they likely to head hunt recruits from your company?
If the open position is for data entry or answering phones, local job centers can often be adequate. The grapevine can be a really effective tool for minor positions. This recruitment method can work for the higher level positions as well. But again, do check the facts. Often someone in your circle of colleagues can recommend someone they know.
There are several options for staff recruitment
- Permanent employees can be full time or part time.
- Temporary staff through employment agencies.
- Outsourcing for one off self-employed freelancers.
- Fixed term contract
- On call contractors/freelancers- no obligations to offer and perform work from either party. Zero hour contracts can be mutually convenient.
Handling your own recruitment
Gives you a holistic view of the applicants you choose for interview. Right from the initial cover letter, to the phone manner and sitting in front of you in the interview. First impressions are everything, and that works both ways. Any recruitment candidates that make it to interview stage have gotten there on first impressions.
Decisions are made from presentation
If ketchup is splashed over the letter, it doesn’t matter if they have every qualification in the world, you may not get that far. Likewise if you have ketchup dropped down your tie or shirt, it may turn them off you. Generally sloppy looking people don’t get picked for jobs. Alternatively, sloppy bosses don’t attract the best employees.
You will need a degree of insight
when interviewing possible recruits. The ‘gut feeling’ can often serve you well here. You get a chance to test for a nice mesh of personality. That doesn’t mean the busty, short skirt or the Brad Pitt lookalike should be accepted hands down. Use your judgment. Consider getting third parties in to sit in the interview and ask questions. This will give you valuable non-biased input.
Nobody knows your company better than you
No one else has your vision of the direction and philosophy driving your business. If you need a bulk amount of recruitments do consider appointing a human resource person to make recruitment choices. Get input from other staff as to area’s they feel need addressing. You may solve a need simply, or find you need to recruit in several areas.
Remain calm and assertive
At all times during the recruitment process, be organized and relaxed. Once you are ready to make a job offer, be very clear about the terms you are offering. Recheck all criteria has been met, discuss any further checks they may need to pass before signing off, eg medical, police check, one month trial.
Have a good orientation session
Before employees start and after. This way they are familiarized with where things are, who’s who, and exactly which area they will be working in. A package can be given to them to study at home outlining the policies and procedures for your business. Legal documents such as occupational health and safety laws, breaks, extra hours allowed etc.
Recruitment in your business should never take a backseat. The stronger the commitment is to finding the right staff for your company, the more your company will thrive.