Knowing how to recruit the right people is an essential tool for the success of any business.
In Australia, an average of 30% of employees leave within the first 90 days, with a high number leaving within the first 45 days. The wrong hire can be costly, impacting time, resources and reputation.
For small businesses with smaller budgets and limited staff, getting recruitment right is even more crucial.
This guide will provide you with a simple step-by-step breakdown of recruiting - from defining the role, to onboarding - helping you to streamline the process and find the right fit for the job without the stress or expense.
Defining the role and key requirements
Having a well-defined description of the job helps attract the right candidates and aligns your expectations with the skills and experience required.
Here are a few key things to think about:
Job responsibilities: Clearly outline the tasks and duties your new hire will be asked to perform.
Skills and experience required: Identify must-haves vs trainable skills.
Opportunities to grow: Highlight opportunities for promotions and training.
Salary & benefits: Offer a competitive salary range and consider extra perks like flexible work arrangements, or employee discounts.
Advertising the position
To effectively advertise a job position, it’s essential to choose the right platform to reach the appropriate candidates.
Job boards: Use popular job listing sites like Seek, Indeed and LinkedIn.
Social media & company website: Post the role on your company site or social media pages to attract candidates who already have an interest in your business.
Networking & referrals: Leverage your existing employees and industry contacts to get the word out.
Free & inexpensive options: Post on free sites like Workskil and Sureway. Look at local community Job Boards, Facebook Job Groups or industry-specific forums as well.
Reviewing applications
The next step is to begin filtering out the candidates who don’t meet your requirements, and creating a shortlist of the ones that do for interviews.
Here’s what you should be looking at:
Relevant experience & skills: Ensure your applicant meets the essential criteria.
Attention to detail: Look at how well the candidate has structured their CV, keeping an eye on any spelling or grammatical mistakes to indicate professionalism.
Identify areas needing clarification: Take note if the candidate has moved from job to job, and look for gaps in employment without explanation or a lack of relevant experience.
Interviewing candidates
While a candidate might look great on paper, an interview can help you learn more about the person. Having a structured interview process, enables you to make more informed hiring decisions.
Some types of questions you might ask are:
Skills and experienced-based questions: Ask about experience, achievements and any relevant technical skills.
Problem-solving and situational questions: Ask your candidates how they solve job related challenges.
Behavioural questions: Find out more about their work ethic, how they work with a team, and how they handle stressful situations.
Making a final decision
Once you’ve gone through the interviews, it’s time to pick the best person for the job. A few important criteria to think about are:
Qualifications & experience: Does your candidate meet the key requirements?
Cultural fit and personality: How well will they work with your team?
Reference checks: Verify the candidate’s experience and reliability by checking with past employers.
Professional courtesy: 75% of candidates never hear back from a job application. Do the right thing, send an email and thank them for their time.
When you’ve made your final choice, contact the successful candidate with the good news. Follow up with a formal letter of offer, detailing salary, start date and other important terms of the role.
Legal & compliance considerations
Protect your business and employees by being compliant with any legal guidelines such as:
Employment contracts: Clearly define the terms of employment, salary and duties.
Fair hiring practices: your hiring decisions on skills and qualifications.
Industry regulations: Be aware of any special requirements that apply to your business sector.
Managing your new employee
Once your candidate says yes to the offer, it’s then time to welcome them to the job with a seamless onboarding process.
Onboarding & training: Get them across company policies and expectations, and undertake any necessary training.
Workplace health & safety: Keep your employees abreast of all safety protocols and industry regulations.
Feedback & support: Help your new staff member settle into their new role and check in regularly to be across and address any concerns.
Hiring a new employee is one of your business’s most significant investments and plays a key role in your growth and success. By having a well-planned recruitment process, you’ll save time and money, and ensure you build a strong and effective team.
By putting in the time to find the right people, you’ll set your business up for success in the long term.