Hello, good morning and welcome!

Tips for successful recruitment

Preparation

• Specify the role – purpose, main tasks, reporting line, key relationships (customers, other departments...). If you have a job description, make sure it’s up to date

• Define the skills and experience you need – divide them into “essential” and “desirable” (driving, IT, languages...)

• Think about what personal qualities are most likely to lead to success in the role (independent, detail-oriented, flexible...) and fit with the existing team. This does not mean if they are all young males, you must recruit another young male! Aim for a balanced team.

Preparation

• Determine what package you can offer – it needs to be affordable, realistic, and compliant with the National Minimum Wage

• Check what similar jobs are paying – Monster or TotalJobs.com will give you a reasonable idea

• Decide what advertising medium will attract suitable candidates - online jobs board, local paper, trade journals, recruitment agency, job centre...

• If you decide to use an agency, scope out the role very clearly andnegotiate a sensible fee.

Preparation• Draft your copy carefully! No unlawful discrimination...

(age, gender, race, disability, marital status, religion, sexual orientation)

• Prepare interview questions to test candidates’ in depth knowledge and experience. Think about situations they will come across in the job and ask open questions about similar situations in other jobs (“Tell me about a time when... What did you do? What was the outcome?”)

• Decide who will take part in the interview , e.g. the line manager plus one to avoid bias – but don’t turn up mob-handed!

Screening applications• Screen CVs objectively for evidence of relevant experience

and professionalism (e.g. a good covering letter)• Ignore gender, age, marital status, foreign-sounding names –

these are not lawful reasons to reject a candidate• CVs are not consistent – to be sure of getting all the data you

really need, use a simple Application Form or Questionnaire• Don’t write comments on CVs; use sticky notes that can be

removed in case of litigation• Divide applications into three piles: Yes, No and Maybe, then

go through your Yes and Maybe piles again for consistency. Reject your No candidates at an early stage. Invite your Yes people for interview, and keep your Maybe people warm just in case...

Interview Structure

• Welcome the candidates – make small talk for a couple of minutes to help steady their nerves (weather, journey etc.)

• Ask questions – relevant, open, non-discriminatory• Supply Information – invite the candidates to ask you

questions about the company, the job etc, then tell them what happens next

• Part company – thank them and say how and when you will be in touch (by phone, by email, via the agency...)

Interviews

• Notice your first impressions, but don’t make your mind up straight away – beware “haloes and horns” effects – reserve judgement till you’ve heard what they have to say

• Listen carefully to the candidates’ answers, if they are vague, probe more deeply: “What exactly do you mean? Tell me more. What specifically did you do?”

• Check that their body language matches their words. If this girl told you she was really enthusiastic about your job, would you believe her?

Interviews

• Don’t ask questions about candidates’ domestic arrangements or family plans... They could be discriminatory. Stick to questions related to the job!

• If a certain physical ability is intrinsic to the performance of the job, you may ask whether the person can do it, e.g. lifting or carrying heavy weights, climbing up ladders... But avoid asking general health-related questions or how much time off sick they’ve had in the last year.

Interviews• Make notes of candidates’ answers – e.g. credible,

persuasive, showed relevant knowledge and experience• Make notes about other relevant issues (e.g. for a

customer-facing role: grooming, self-projection, confidence, eye contact...)

• At the end, score the candidate (e.g. marks out of 5)for key job factors (knowledge, skills, experience...) and write a short summary of your overall impressions

• Keep the notes about all the candidatesin case of any possible litigation – only write what you would be comfortable revealing in a Tribunal!

And finally.....• Never make an offer there and then. Take time to think, and confer

with your colleagues• If you’ve seen nobody suitable, don’t offer the “least bad” one the

job - start again!• Make a verbal offer over the phone and follow up quickly with a

written contract – subject to references• Don’t reject your second choice candidate until your first choice has

accepted the job and agreed asuitable start date

• Advise the unsuccessful candidates kindly, and leave them with a positive impression of your business – they could be customers one day...

• Plan how to get your new recruit up tospeed once they come on board.