In the current employment market, it can be difficult to get the people you need.
Many businesses feel they have the right fit but discover that the appointment isn’t right months into their probation. How do you avoid this situation?
Getting things right from the outset is crucial. In this article, we’ll explore how you can do this.
Attracting the Right Talent
Before you set out to recruit a new role, you need to ensure your recruitment process is up to the task. Have you set out the correct amount of interview stages? What are your criteria for picking candidates? Have you set any skill-based tests for the applicant to complete?
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If you have any concerns or doubts about your current recruitment process, conduct a full review. Try to identify areas that are unnecessary, and which could be improved.
Once this is done, you can begin to highlight the criteria for recruitment. Selecting the right candidate comes down to two factors:
Soft skills
Hard skills
Let’s take a look at these in more depth…
Soft Skills
Soft skills are what make an employee a good fit for the business. You can find a full list of soft skills here. They’re important because they will determine whether the employee:
Is a good cultural fit
Has the right work ethic
Has good organisation / time management
Is adaptable / flexible.
To assess whether the individual has the right soft skills for the job, you need to ask particular questions and present problems. For example, you could ask the question:
“How do you prioritise your workload when there are multiple tasks with the same deadline?”
Presenting tasks and scenarios will show how the employee will tackle common scenarios faced in the role. In some scenarios, it might be worth bringing in colleagues the candidate will work with. This gives you a sounding board and chance for the individual to interact with others while you observe. Use this to inform your hiring decisions.
Hard Skills
Hard skills are the technical talents and knowledge needed to perform the role. If an employee doesn’t have the hard skills they need, then you will face significant challenges managing their performance. You can assess hard skills by assigning technical tasks and checking their employment history.
Hard skills can always be refined and refreshed. So, remember to plan training and development to support your new staff member in their employment. This will also act as an incentive for them to take the role, knowing that their skills will be nurtured.
Meeting Staff Expectations
One part of the recruitment process that many employers fail to consider is managing expectations. Our advice lines have received lots of calls from business owners concerned about the demands of their new employees. By the time they’ve called, it is often a case of damage control, rather than prevention. To really have a handle on staff expectations, you need to begin before placing a job advert.
Firstly, make sure your job description accurately describes the roll, along with all of its perks and benefits. Remove any wording that is vague or unclear. Once this is done, review once more to see if there are any areas that you would be willing to negotiate, such as:
Salary
Flexible working
Discretionary benefits.
You don’t need to state that these areas are negotiable in the job advert, but you can prepare parameters for negotiation. For example, what is the upper limit on salary for the role? Are the working hours flexible? Knowing your limits in advance means you aren’t caught off-guard when these questions are raised.
I Can’t Offer More Money
Times are tough, and many businesses will be just as concerned about keeping the lights on as meeting salary expectations. For this reason, you may be unable to stay competitive. While it’s true that salary is the primary reason people seek a new job, it’s not always the priority. There’s nothing stopping you from having these discussions with the candidate.
Ask them what their reason is for searching for a new role. It might be that they want increased flexibility—can you provide that? They might be looking for career development—can you support them in career growth?
Don’t make any promises in the interview that you can’t keep. That being said, there is no reason you can’t look into the matters that the candidate cares about. Employment is a two-way relationship, make sure you’re providing for them and they’ll provide for you. If it really is all down to salary, it isn’t the end of the world. You can get support making your rates competitive without breaking the bank. Refer to our pay & reward services for support in this area.
Expert Support with Recruitment and Retention
Having trouble hiring or retaining staff members? The current employment market is competitive and staff loyalty can be fickle. But, there are steps you can take to ensure you keep the talent you need to make your business a success.
Expert support
If you need support with employee productivity or conduct, speak to a Croner expert today on 0844 5618133 and quote code CHC22 along with quote number 911059.
Every FTC business member can also claim a free Croner goodie bag containing a mouse mat, pen, coaster and mug.
