Struggling to find the right candidate for your business, read on to unlock the secrets of effective recruitment.

As a small business owner recruiting the “right” person can feel like a minefield.  In small teams getting it wrong can cause more problems than just recruiting in the first place.  One of my favourite quotes, famously attributed to Steve Jobs is “Its better to have a hole in the organization than an asshole”.  In other words having no one doing a job is better than having the wrong person doing the job.  We’ve all been there, you interview someone, think you have found the one and then they join and its all downhill from there.

Prior to becoming an HR professional, I started my career in recruitment and my first role in an HR department was as a resourcing advisor.  I thought I was pretty good at recruitment, then fast forward a few years and I recruited a new member of my team and got it spectacularly wrong.  Resulting in me having to have a conversation, several weeks later and that person leaving.  The only saving grace was that they had been made redundant from their previous role and hadn’t left a job to join my team.  Still, it was a horrible experience and caused a lot of disruption in my team even in that short period of time. 

So where did it wrong?

Well to be honest I didn’t have a clear job description and I tried to create two different roles in one.  I wanted someone to pick up recruitment, which was busy but not busy enough to justify a full time role, plus the team didn’t want to do the recruitment and constantly complained about it.  I also wanted someone to look at Learning and Development, it wasn’t a big enough role for a seasoned L&D professional and I didn’t have the budget for one.  So, I ended up with this hybrid confusing role which wasn’t clear to anyone.

The other issue was that the new recruit, turned up late, took a longer lunch hour and left early.  As I looked after multiple sites, I heard all this from unhappy team members and despite having a conversation the behaviour didn’t improve hence the swift exit.  I wasn’t clear on what skills set I was looking for, I was desperate to recruit and so I rushed the process.  A recipe for disaster, so how can you find the perfect recruit.

The perfect recruit!

Well firstly, to manage your expectations there is no such thing, having a clear job description is the first step.

✅Identify key responsibilities – focus on what they will actually be doing.

✅Differentiate between must-have vs nice to have skills – don’t throw everything at the job advertisement and don’t expect to find someone who ticks all the boxes.

✅Consider your company culture – will they fit into your team’s way of working?

Also, consider hiring for potential and not just experience, if your company is growing you may want someone who can adapt and take on new challenges.

Attract the right candidates.

Smaller businesses will need to be more strategic than larger businesses when recruiting. 

✅Use targeted job boards – Indeed is a popular platform as is LinkedIn.

✅Leverage social media – can you use Facebook and Instagram?

✅Encourage employee referrals – your current team (hopefully), like working for you and may know great people they would be happy to recommend.

Don’t try to compete with larger companies, think about the things you can offer to attract talent, as such short commute, flexible working, opportunities to develop, part of a small but growing team.

Streamline the selection process.

✅Pre-screen CV’s effectively – many job boards allow you to include qualifying questions.  Look for experience not just qualifications unless they are absolutely essential to the job.

✅Use a structured interview process – this will ensure fairness and easy comparison.

✅Include a practical task – this will give you some insight into how they work.

Some interviews may include psychometric testing which can also be useful.  I would also recommend thinking about who will interview, naturally the manager and I would also include someone who has done the job.  Also, remember interviews are a two way process, the candidate is also deciding whether they want to work for you.

Create a positive candidate experience.

The recruitment process is also an opportunity for you promote your business.  Candidates can give feedback online these days about your business, sites like Glassdoor have a section for candidates to rate the interview process, candidates may also leave comments on your social media pages.

✅ Be responsive – reply to candidates quickly or have an automated response if you are expecting a large number of applicants.

✅Give feedback – if someone has taken the time to come for an interview make sure you provide structured feedback as to why they were unsuccessful.

Don’t make the process too long or overcomplicated.

Lastly, don’t drag out the interview process.  Two stages, maybe three for more senior roles should be enough.  If a good candidate is actively looking you don’t want to risk losing them because you took too long to make an offer.  Plan dates for interviews, let candidates know what the process is, when they will hear back and dates for the next stage.  If things change keep the candidate up to date, leave them with a good impression of you and your business.  They may not be an employee right now but they may be in the future or they may end up being a customer.

Final thoughts

Make sure you have the specifics of any offer finalised before you start recruiting so you are clear on your renumeration package.  In addition there are compliance checks such as right to work in the UK and some roles require further probity checks which you need to include in your process.  Whilst you should have a timely recruitment process, getting the right person is the most important element, for them and you.

Make sure you get the best recruit for your business, need help with any of the above contact me at bev@bdhr.co.uk to discuss how I can support you, go to www.bdhr.co.uk

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