Staff can make or break a small business. If you're planning to expand your team, there's definitely a lot of pressure to get it right. And while recruitment companies can be useful, they're also expensive. However, you can make sure your hiring process will increase your profits, rather than eat into them, by doing it well yourself. Saving money and time is easy with these simple steps.
First things first...
Before you advertise your vacancy it's important to make sure you're up to date with the latest employment legislation. The rules are always changing, and you need to know what could catch you out sooner rather than later. You should also be confident that your business is financially stable enough to handle a new employee. If you're funding the business yourself, you can use our free budget planner to see whether you can afford to inject enough cash into your business to cover the cost of a new employee.
Post a well-written ad
Vague ads will be inundated with applications from jobseekers who aren't right for the job. Put in as many details about the role as possible, specifying what you need from candidates and encouraging them to really think about if they can fulfil that. Your ad should outline the required previous skills and experience, as well as what kind of character will suit the role.
Get social
Job boards aren't the only source of candidates; Twitter and LinkedIn are great places to find potential employees. These websites will give you more insight into their personalities than CVs can. Also consider asking existing employees if they know anyone who might be suitable. If your current staff members fit with the company culture, there's a good chance their friends and connections could too.
Be organised
Put together an application strategy. Decide how many interview stages there will be, who should be on the panel and how the interviews should be conducted: by telephone, Skype, or in person. Turn this into a checklist and attach it to each CV; this is an easy way to keep track of where each candidate is at in the process.
Test the candidates' knowledge
If you're looking for specific skills and in-depth knowledge on a particular topic, it's worth having a pre-interview interview. Speak to each candidate on the phone for 15 minutes, testing them on what they know, or create a written test. If they can prove they have what you need, invite them to meet you in person.
It's all about personality
Think about how they're going to fit into your business. If you've gone for a pre-interview interview then you don't need to concentrate too hard on the contents of their CV at this stage, as you should have a good idea of their abilities by now. Use the actual interview to see how they respond to difficult questions, and consider what that says about them. Remember: you can train someone to do a job, but it's harder to improve a short temper or bad attitude.
Always check references
Everyone puts their best face forward during the interview stage. For a better understanding of your potential employee you'll need to speak to their former managers. Ask how competent the candidate is in their current role, how happy they were to take on extra tasks, and how well they got along with other people in the office.
Posted by Money Dashboard
