Image Source

If you’re running a business, you’re going to need a team to support you along the way. Employees will help to complete all tasks required for your business to thrive on a day to day basis. But finding the right employees for your company can be a long and demanding task. When it comes down to it, a lot of business owners don’t even know where to start when it comes to recruiting the right individuals for the positions on offer. But don’t worry. Here’s a step by step guide that will help you through this entire process!

Know What You’re Looking For

The first step in your journey to hiring a great staff member is to actually know what you’re looking for - or, more accurately, who you’re looking for. All too many business owners realise that they need someone to fill a specific role in their company and post a job ad up without thinking much more about it. But you really need to set yourself clear expectations before doing this. Sure, you may know what position you need to fill - a graphic designer, a copywriter, a marketing manager, a product specialist, a HR manager, an IT specialist and so on - but what are you really looking for? What qualifications do you want this person to have? What experience do you want them to have? Are you happy to take on a graduate with no work experience? Would you prefer someone with no qualifications but more experience under their belt? Do you require any specialist skills or training? Do they need to drive? Do they need to be willing to work overtime or unsociable hours? Knowing exactly what kind of person you’re looking for will help to streamline the entire recruitment process and help you find the right person the first time round, rather than sifting through new starters who routinely leave after a week or two. All of this information will help you to write a quality job description that will highlight your needs and draw in the right candidates. Make sure to also specify a salary bracket. This will ensure only applicants who are happy with the pay bracket apply, saving your time and theirs if the pay is too high or low for their experience.

Finding the Right Candidates

Once you have your job description ready to go, it’s time to find the right candidates. Now, a lot of people will apply for roles without even properly looking at the job description or knowing that they do not meet your requirements. You can sift these individuals out and ensure that only suitable applicants apply using a TestReach online assessment. This can be a short assessment placed as part of the application process with a choice of answers for candidates to pick from. Only by selecting the right answers to match what you’re looking for will candidates then be able to progress and have their application considered.

Good places to list your job ad tend to include platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster and other jobs boards. This will advertise your position to those who are actively job hunting. Be prepared to receive an influx of applications. Many roles receive hundreds or even thousands of people who are interested - especially if the role is remote. There are two ways to go through these and find the best applicants to suit your needs. The first is to take the time yourself. This, however, can be time consuming, so many business choose a second option - a recruitment agency. A short consultation will tell them what you’re looking for and they’ll be able to spend their time looking through CVs and resumes to find the ones that tick your boxes.

Interviewing

Once you have a list of potential candidates, it’s time to invite them to interview. Now, there are different ways to go about this and it will depend on whether you want to meet these individuals in person or whether you’re happy to conduct a video interview. Video interviews tend to be more convenient, take less time out of your day and the applicant’s day and can also be safer in these times where Covid-19 is rife. Whichever option you choose, make sure to send a polite and welcoming email or make a phone call to the candidate to let them know that they have progressed to the next stage of the application process and that you’d like to speak to them further about the position through an interview. Now, you need to decide what you want to get from this interview.

Do you want to see their skillset? Probe into their qualifications and experience? Find out their job history? Get to know their personality? An interview can tell you a lot about a person. Choose your questions wisely and make sure that you don’t ask any questions that could be deemed personal or grounds for discrimination. This could include questions about family planning, age, sexuality, gender, home life and more. You may also want to set some tasks for them to complete before the interview that you can then discuss together.

Choosing the Right Person

When you’ve finished interviewing all candidates, it’s decision time. Chances are, there will be one or two who have caught your eye and who you’re interested in bringing into the business. At the end of the day, only you can know who will be the best fit. Consider your priorities. One individual may be better qualified or expect lower pay, but if they’re not a good personality fit for you and the other people you already have working for you, it may be better to pay someone else slightly more or give someone with a little less experience a chance. Make sure to think this decision over fully before making it. Once you know who’s right, make the job offer! You should have a new team member on board before you know it!

As you can see, there are a lot of steps and some big decision making to face when recruiting new staff. But hopefully, some of the advice above should help to guide you along the way!