Recruitment strategies

It is a fact that one of the busiest times of the year for recruitment is at the beginning of the year. There are many different reasons for this. As an employer, this means you may find yourself having to replace employees who have resigned or you may see an opportunity for growth in your business which requires more staff.

The important thing is getting the right people for the job and your business.

Recruitment is not a onestep process. It involves detailed selection in order to retain good employees.

Attracting and selecting the right people for the job and your business culture is becoming increasingly difficult.

It is costly to make an incorrect hiring decision in terms of time and missed opportunities. A poor hiring decision can have a negative impact on other employees.

To compete in business today, attracting and keeping talented employees is vital. If you, the employer, want to attract and keep the best, you need to adopt a value proposition - a special value which your business offers employees.

“Recruiting gets a whole lot easier when you have a reputation for being a great place to work,” says entrepreneur Joanna Meiseles.

How to get the right person for the job

The following is essential for effective recruitment and selection:

1. Identify the need to recruit and decide if recruitment is the best option. 2. Develop the job profile A comprehensive job profile is important and is used for recruitment, selection, onboarding and performance management. A comprehensive profile should include the following areas; • The purpose of the job • Defining four to eight job responsibilities • List non-negotiable job requirements and • Select the knowledge and skills required in the position.

3. Prepare an advertisement and decide on the best place to advertise

Create an appropriate advertisement for the position that correctly outlines the job specifications and minimum requirements.

Depending on your budget and the skills set required, you need to identify the most effective way of attracting the right people for your business and the position.

This may be to advertise in Grocott's Mail, GPN (Grahamstown Parents Network) or online. Word of mouth is also powerful, but this can also be limiting.

4. Plan the interview and selection process • It can be difficult and time consuming to try and shortlist candidates if they provide their CVs in different formats, styles, and lengths. To make it easier, you can develop a standard application form. Remember that our labour laws preclude any information relating to age, gender, marital status, general health etc. being requested on an application form.

* Carefully screen all CVs, highlighting where applicants fit the non-negotiable job requirements, skills and knowledge required for the position. • Choose your best applicants and then decide on the best selection interview process. Human Resource Management (HRM) Best Practice suggests that you follow the “rule of three” when planning the selection interview process.

I believe this to be a thorough way of assessing your applicants. Although in smaller businesses this may be more difficult but you can adapt the idea to suit your business structure.

This three-step interview process includes the Screening interview – which is a short 20- to 30-minute interview which can be done telephonically or via Skype.

The aim is to assess which applicants meet the inherent job requirements, including qualifications, work experience and competencies relevant to the position.

It also gives you an opportunity to gauge how interested the applicant is in the position. This interview can be done by your HR department, direct manager, or senior staff person.

The second step is the culture and competence interview. This is a face-to-face interview which can take an hour or more. This interview gives you an opportunity to assess the applicants in terms of your business culture and the level of capability against important job-specific competencies.

This interview is done by the direct manager if it is a large business, or the owner in a smaller business, a senior staff person and a technical or professional expert.

A panel interview is always a good idea, however don’t make the panel too big.

The third step in this interview process is the Team Fit Interview.

This step involves your shortlisted candidates. In other words, those candidates that came up top in the first two steps.

It is conducted by the owner or senior person and one or two people who will be working with the new applicant.

This is a good way of getting commitment and buy-in from your current employees who will be supporting the new employee in their new position.

Here you will be assessing the “can-do” attitude, flexibility and whether the applicant is a team player. It is critical who you choose an applicant that will fit into your business culture.

5 Reference Check and validation of all qualifications It is extremely important to do at least two thorough reference reports and to validate all qualifications where necessary.

Here, you have an opportunity to learn more about the applicant and their work ethic.

It is more efficient if you have a prepared reference questionnaire which ensures that you ask all the necessary and important questions critical to the position you are recruiting for.

6 Prepare the offer It is always a good idea to make an offer to the selected applicant formally in writing. This is an important letter which briefly but clearly outlines the job and employment details.

It ensures that there is no miscommunication or misrepresentation of the offer.

It is a good idea that you get the selected applicant to sign the offer indicating their acceptance. This does not replace the employment contract.

Communicate your company values and ethos to your applicant.

There is a definite shift in the balance of power from the employer to the employee. So to be competitive and to attract the right person, as a business owner you need to have a unique or special value that your business can offer your employees.

7 Plan and implement an onboarding process You have done all the hard work in recruiting and selecting, it is now imperative that you welcome your new employee to your business.

On-boarding is the process where you welcome your new employee and you provide them with all the knowledge, resources and support they need to settle in and get productive as quickly as possible.

It is a process of proper hand-holding and a smooth transition for the new employee. This can last three weeks or more.

This step sets the foundation for future success. It allows your new employee to have a better understanding of the business vision, mission, markets, clients and values, ensuring clarity of all business systems and processes.

Remember that effective engagement with your business leads to higher levels of job satisfaction which in turn means better retention levels in the longer term and for you, the business owner, it means a consistent and stable team and less staff turnover.

As a business owner or manager, you work hard at trying to ensure that all areas in your business are running well. Time, effort, and money is spent on the daily grind of juggling budgets, pleasing clients, building new business relationships, paying accounts, solving IT issues, etc. that often staffing gets neglected.

It is an onerous task in itself, just getting your head around the recruitment, selection and retention process, let alone having the time thereafter to see it through.

For all your recruitment needs call us and we will assist you in making this process efficient and easier for you.

Wishing you a successful 2017. • Lynette Hobson is a recruitment specialist at Dynamic Talent Acquisition, 12 New Street, Telephone 079 526 8242.