2018 has started with a bang, infact it’s flying by, and you are keen to get moving on all those fantastic plans and new ideas you have for your business and success, problem is, you haven’t got the right team in place – yet.
Finding the right employees for your business can be a business itself.
Recruiting well can be a real competitive advantage but when things don’t go smoothly the impact is substantial – disruption to your business, reduced productivity, patchy customer service plus the long-term costs associated with recruitment and the loss of investment in staff that don’t stay.
It’s worth spending some time upfront conducting an analysis of the role and the type of person you really need and planning a step by step approach of how you are going to find them.
Step One: Analysing your requirements- some things to consider:
1. The departure of a valued team member is a great opportunity to take stock of the team you have. Rather than automatically assume you need to replace that person have a look at the skills that you have within the team and evaluate where the gaps are. Sit down with the team and get their feedback about what is and isn’t working well before your rush into hiring someone new. You may be able to do some tweaking to your existing team before you move to recruitment – this might be the time to have another team member extend their skills or learn some new ones or for the whole team to have some training.
2. How do the team get along? Bringing someone new into an existing team can change the dynamics – injecting fresh enthusiasm and vigour. It can also create new tensions if inadequate consideration is given to the working relationships within the existing team. If you do exit interviews now is the time to review that valuable data. Outgoing employees may voice concerns. Pay attention to any observations they may offer about team dynamics. Think about the personalities and working styles you have working within the team already and whether you need to create a better balance or more diversity.
3. What is the culture of your organisation? Is the pace fast and high energy? Is there a focus on collaboration or do staff work largely autonomously? Do you place a high value on doing ethical work? Think about how you would articulate the culture of your organisation and what kind of person would be a good match for that culture.
4. Whilst it might sound obvious, an accurate job description is essential. Many of the workplace disputes we see arise from employees not being given an accurate picture of the role they are taking on, or not understanding the parameters of that role- what they are responsible for and who they report to. It can be tempting to ‘dress up’ a role to make it sound more interesting or entice a different type of candidate. It’s important to be honest about what’s involved – don’t sell the role as being a Marketing Job if the reality is that the person is going to be photocopying flyers. The job description should identify the specific tasks, responsibilities and reporting lines associated with the role.
A little preparation goes a long way to ensuring a good hire. Read about how to get the most out of interviews and the selection process for further information.
HR Central offers different recruitment packages based on your needs:
· We write job advertisements, post the job ad, shortlist candidates, conduct phone screens, develop interview questions, conduct psychometric testing, complete interviews and notify unsuccessful candidates
· We offer a fixed time and materials based pricing model to keep costs of recruitment at a minimum.
· Document development – including Letters of offer, Position descriptions and Contracts for Employees, Contractors and Volunteers