It may be early March but there’s plenty of time to fine tune and improve this “recruiting thing” in 2012.
Below are several great tips we found at the Forum of Private Business (FPB.org) on February 6.
A good beginning usually ends in a great result, so the first tip is to write a great job description. Or, as the article says: “[l]ose the generic job specification and ensure that it is relevant to your business needs. Ensure the targets that need to be achieved by employing this new person are promoted through the specification.”
Decide on the skills and background/education that’s critical for the position as well as those skills, etc. that would be great to have but not necessary for someone to succeed in the job.
Work to create what the article calls a “standard interview process” for all candidates. In addition, the article recommends that that process be the following: “telephone screen, psychometric test, first interview, second interview, include a related test for that role i.e. presentation for sales people.”
The reasoning for this? “Telephone screens show if applicants are professional, clear and precise,” the article states. “An informal first interview should start the process and filter the applicants down. A second interview should be more formal with an increased number of interviewers to see how the applicant demonstrates themselves under pressure.”
The article also suggests performing ID and background checks before interviewing. In fact, according to the article, even before the interview you should “take a minimum of two written references. One must be the last and most recent employer. Ask for character references if the role involves a lot of trust. Try to gain a full understanding of that person; will they fit in with the team and can they fulfill the role in the long term?”
At the interview, ask lots of “competency based questions” such as achievements in his current (or last) position and career highlights, etc. The article also offers a suggestion we can only agree with: “Speak to a specialist recruitment organization [such as Arrow Staffing] and build a strong relationship with them.” We look forward to hearing from you!