Finding the best possible people, to fit within your culture and contribute to your organisation is a challenge. Having an effective recruitment process can decrease the amount of time it takes to attract and secure new talent and in turn will enable your business to continue to operate as efficiently as possible when the need to recruit arises.  

Spend time on the job ad…

A well written and descriptive advertisement that specifies skills and requirements, should not only wean out unsuitable candidates, but will also sell the role and attract the top talent.

Know your stuff…

If you are not the direct Hiring Manager, ensure you have a thorough knowledge of the role in question. Decide exactly what skills you are looking for in an employee and tailor your interviewing and selection process accordingly.

It sounds obvious, but make sure you have taken time to familiarise yourself with the information on the candidate’s CV. This will enable you to conduct a more direct and relevant interview.

Interviews are a two-way scenario, and if the candidate suspects you are under prepared, it could reduce their interest in the role.

Streamline your interview process…..

In some circumstances, two or three step interviews are necessary, but with the current unemployment rate at around 4.1% it is likely that you will be competing with other employers and roles and lets face it, nobody likes the waiting game created by an unnecessarily lengthy interview process.

An effective recruitment process looks at both internal and external candidates. But don’t be tempted to take the ease of hiring a less appropriate person just because they are an internal candidate.

Make a decision and move quickly….

To us, this is the most crucial part of the hiring process and one that can make the difference between securing a fantastic candidate or losing out to another organisation who are more organised.

Before you begin the interview process, it is a good idea to book in some time for reviewing interviews with anyone else involved in decision making.  In our experience, not having time to sit down with colleagues is a regular contributing factor to the delay of an offer being made.

In todays candidate driven market, high calibre candidates, particularly those with specialist skills, are in high demand and often have more than one offer of employment to consider.