Recruiting new employees, part 1 – attracting the right candidates

As many business owners know only too well, the cost of getting recruitment wrong can be extensive and can come in many forms. We have therefore decided to put together a mini series of blogs, with each post focusing on a certain aspect of staff recruitment.

In this first part, we look at attracting the right candidates.

PlanThe first step to successful recruitment is planning. Before you even start to put together a job advert, think carefully about the role and what is required. Create a list of tasks and duties the person will be required to undertake and in what proportions. Create a pen portrait of the attributes the ideal candidate will have in order to fit into your organisation and succeed in the role.

Be originalWhen drafting a job description it can be tempting to fall back on overused person specifications. All roles require a team player and someone who has strong communication skills. Alternatively, try to include things that relate specifically to the role and your organisation.

Be specificAs far as you can, be specific about the duties the job will involve. There is no point skimming over responsibilities or being vague as this will soon be uncovered once the new person is in post. If the role will encompass any additional responsibilities mentioning these might also attract the right candidates.

If there are any experience requirements or qualifications needed for the role be sure to specify these also.

Selecting candidatesOnce the deadline date for job applications has passed you’ll need to sift through the applications. CVs come in a variety of formats and it can be difficult to work your way through the volume of information supplied. You might want to consider using a standardised application form to help speed up the sifting process as all of the information will be located in the same place. It can be difficult to try and obtain a sense of personality from a form though, so asking for letter or other form of personal statement can be useful for providing a more complete picture.

If possible, have two people independently go through the applications to avoid unintended bias.

Remember the rulesDon’t forget that discriminating on the grounds of age, gender, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation is illegal. This includes during all stages of the recruitment process. For more information or for an HR input into recruiting candidates, please contact us here. Next time we’ll look at the next stage in recruitment - interviewing candidates.