Ten Practical Tips To Improve Your Recruitment

By Author: Jai Prakash Srivastava
Total Articles: 196
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Author Adam Butler is the owner of EasyOnlineRecruitment.co.uk

In his international bestseller, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Dr Stephen Covey writes that given his time over as a businessperson the one thing he would focus more on would be to more strategic, proactive recruiting and selecting.

He goes on to say: I am convinced that when recruiting and selecting is not based on the pressures of the moment, it pays enormous long-term dividends.

So, how can you develop more rigorous selection policies?

1. Have a clear understanding of the culture and values of your business and present them to potential candidates as reasons to join. Explain the reasons why people stay within your organisation.

2. Always be on the lookout for the best talent. See the best candidates even when you don't have a vacancy (be careful not to mislead anyone though - don't let them think there is a current vacancy if there isn't one). Meeting for a coffee with prospective future candidates can be a good way to gain market intelligence, while keeping an up-to-date database.

3. Encourage your staff ...
... to provide details of friends and family who may be relevant to your market and get them to positively promote the culture and valued of your business. Reward existing staff when you make a hire, and reward again when the new hire has been in your business for a year.

4. Consider how you may reach a more relevant pool of qualified candidates. Is there a niche internet job board you could advertise on, or a niche recruiter/headhunter who could gather names for you?

5. Try and read every CV and supporting notes at least 24 hours in advance, noting down areas to specifically probe deeper. Take note of interests also, as these can be good icebreakers to build rapport when walking from reception to the interview room.

6. At interview, ask for specific examples of times and experiences the candidate has had that are relevant to the job you are asking them to do. Probe deeper into these areas and don't be shy of staying on the same subject for a while in order to fully understand your candidate's response. Have a list of questions pre prepared, and make sure you ask the same questions to each candidate that you see for a particular role.

7. Is your job spec up to date and relevant, and are you testing your candidate for the skills required for the job? A trap many managers often fallen into is employing staff who are either ‘like them' or who ‘they like'.

8. Adapt the way you interview to the role you have - eg, if you are looking for a technical person, ask them to demonstrate their technical abilities in the interview. If it is salespeople or managers, consider a group assessment or selection event when you can see them all for longer, view how they interact and see how they will fit with your organisation.

9. Psychometric testing can be effective for revealing additional levels of information about an individual's personality and preferences.

10. Be sure to ask for and check references, so that all your hard work and research is corroborated.

PHOTO CAPTION:
Don't just focus on the costs of hiring a candidate. Consider the wider implications of hidden costs associated with selecting an unsuitable candidate.

PULL-OUT QUOTE:
Reward existing staff when you make a hire, and reward again when the new hire has been in your business for a year

SEPARATE PANEL:

Your action plan
Develop more rigorous selection policies
Put a referral programme in place
Review your job specifications
Look into psychometric testing
Coach line managers in interview techniques

Find more information relating to online recruitment, and recruitment agency here.