What is recruitment, you ask? It is finding a person to fill a position. Good recruitment, however, is about finding the best person for each job.

Remember that every recruitment decision you make is a financial investment – an investment in the future and sustainability of your business. So, you want to make sure it’s the best decision you can possibly make, right? (Rather than a poor or rushed decision just because you need to make one?)

The key is hiring the best people: people who will work to the high standard that you do. (Or, if you are brave enough and savvy enough – people who are even better at it than you.) Scary concept for some of you, we know – but if you have people in your team who can fill in any ‘gaps’ in your skills, your business will perform better and in the end, you will make more money.

Here’s the HR Gurus ‘how-to’ of recruitment:

  1. Know what you want
  2. Have a structured approach
  3. Make your decision for the right reason
  4. Hire and familiarise

Know what you want

It’s really important that you plan out what you are looking for before you begin. This will help you make an easier decision when you get to the end of the process, and ensure that you get the right person for the job.

The first step is to put a job description together that outlines the qualifications you are looking for, experience that the job requires, and also key skills to make sure the person can perform.

Have a structured approach

It’s easy to get off track when interviewing people – conversation can get side-tracked and before you know it, your interview has taken an hour and a half and you haven’t gotten what you want! So, it’s important to have a structure and stick to it.

The first part in planning your recruitment is deciding the salary range you are willing to pay. It is important to research to ensure you are not paying below standard market rates – you will never attract great people.

Then, think about where you want to advertise. There are a number of mediums, but most cost a lot of money – so start with your employees. Do they want to refer anyone? Other options for advertising include recruitment agencies, in the newspaper or online yourself. Unless it’s a specialist role, it is much more economical for you to advertise yourself.

Next part is structuring the interview questions. You want to know about their working background, qualifications, and also their skills. The key is to develop the questions you will ask and stick to them!

Lastly, write everything down! You won’t remember it all after the interview, and you certainly won’t remember it after 3 or 4 interviews. Plus, this also protects you if someone feels they weren’t treated fairly during the process – you will have everything on paper to prove your process was sound.

Make your decision for the right reasons

Once you have done your interviews, you need to select the best person, and selection decisions should be based on the principle of merit:

  • Organisational fit
  • Interview performance
  • Assessment against selection criteria

Think about their skills and experience in relation to the role. Try to avoid prejudices such as age, gender (i.e. a married woman in her 30s might want to have kids soon), clothing, football team etc. It’s not relevant to how they can do the job – you want the best person!

Hire and Familiarise

So, you have a new employee, congratulations! But the recruitment process isn’t over until you get them in the door and show them that they are welcome and appreciated (basically, what is commonly known as ‘induction’).  You need to spend some quality time with them when they start. This is essential. We know you are thinking ‘this is all fluff, and I don’t have time!’ but fluff it is not. Sure, there is a bit of touchy-feely stuff that you have to do, but in the end, it is about making you more money!

If you don’t get the best person, you could be creating a headache for yourself in the long term! So, remember, find the best person and hire them for the right reason. The rest should be easy….

For more information on the ‘how-to’ of Recruitment and Selection contact HR Gurus on 1300 959 560.

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