The people that you hire embody your entire business. From your business values and mission to the daily ins and outs of your company – your employees are at the forefront of what you present to your clientele, so it’s important to acquire the right people. Your employees are ultimately responsible for how you operate and how you present your business to clients and customers. You want to hire people that will grow and develop within your business, but how?
1. Make sure you do extensive job analysis
This is the most integral starting point. As an employer, if you’re not entirely sure on what you want, how can you expect your potential employee to apply for a job with confidence? Make sure that you outline everything that you need from the job role – be as specific as possible. Not only will this aid you in figuring out what you need and what your priorities are for the role, but you will also be giving important information out to potential employees.
Think about it…what role would you be more inclined to apply for: one with a vague, all-rounder description, or one that summarises the job role perfectly in detail. The answer is obvious, so here are a few things you can include in your job description to ensure you give all the necessary detail:
• Specific and concise job title
• A strong, attention-grabbing job summary and overview
• A selling point of your company: 82% of job seekers in the UK rated a brief company description as important information to see in a job description
• Exact job location
• Details about work hours and environment
• Outline the core responsibilities of the position and how it relates to the organisation
• Include a list of soft and hard skills
• Include a salary range: 92% of job seekers in the UK rated salary as important in a job description*
• List out your top perks and benefits
2. Create a job advert and advertise
See this as an opportunity to sell yourself and your business. This is the opportunity to put all of your passion into a job description and showcase yourself. Sell the role! There are many places to advertise for jobs nowadays, including on Facebook and LinkedIn. Scope out which of these platforms work best for your industry and your business, and don’t feel obliged to upload the advert to every single website…that would be a lot of shortlisting to do. It’s quality not quantity when considering where to advertise. Here are just a few places where you can advertise your job openings for free:
• Your business website
• Noticeboards or newsletters
• Job boards such as Indeed, Monster, Reed, and Total Jobs
• Social Media
• Universal Job Match or Job Centre
3. Shortlist candidates
There’s no harm in being particular about who you hire, and most people expect to have a screening process when applying for a job. It’s important to scope out the right people, and as an employer, it’s important to utilise as many meetings and conversations as possible to ensure that you make the correct choice. You can do this through a telephone or video interview screening, which is usually done to get to know the personality of a candidate and their general job history as an overview. It can prove extremely insightful having an informal chat before any formal interview – there’s less pressure, and you’ll be more likely to get to know the candidate and their personality. You can then use this to see whether they’d fit well into your business culture.
4. See your shortlisted candidates face to face
The formal interview has benefits to both employers and candidates. It’s one of the most important steps during the recruitment process since it presents an opportunity for both parties to interact with one another. You can collect as much information as possible about the candidate whilst getting to know their personality type, interests, and communication skills. It’s also an opportunity to fill information gaps from the job application. On the other hand, you can use an interview as a public relations tool through giving the candidate a good impression of your company through being friendly and welcoming.
5. See off the process professionally
Once you’ve found your perfect candidate, make sure you provide them with all the relevant legal documentation to get them started for their new role in your business. Make sure to send a formal offer letter and discuss the contract with them. You could also include documents such as a staff handbook or induction training to read prior to their start date.
Ultimately, people are the most important thing in a business. The people you employ make up the community that drive your business and put value to what you do day-in, day-out. It’s not an easy process because it is so integral to the business model – but it pays off in the long run when you employ the best people suited to your company.
