The four main methods of recruiting externally are by:
T word of mouth;
T local or national advertising;
T recruitment agencies;
T selection consultants or executive search firms (‘headhunters’).
In the early stages of start-up and growth, only the first three methods are relevant.
The first includes the recruitment of staff from among your own acquaintances, possibly from the company which you worked for previously or from a customer or supplier of your previous employer. You are trying to build a small team of multi-skilled people who are prepared to put in long hours and much effort, and are dedicated to the success of the business you have set up.
Therefore, personal relationship skills will be at a premium, and it is important that all members of the team are able to work interac- tively and harmoniously. Someone you have worked with before, or whose work is familiar to you and whom you respect will probably be more attractive than an unknown candidate. Again, someone who is unknown to you but recommended by a business acquaintance whose judgement you trust may be a better bet than an unknown candidate from an advertisement.
If there are no word of mouth candidates or you prefer to advertise, the most suitable media will probably be the employment pages of the local press, or the trade press of the industry or profession in which your business operates.
Alternatively, you might choose to advertise through a recruitment agency for a specialist skill set or more senior position, although this will also involve agency fees.
To summarize, a good recruitment procedure will involve:
T considered wording and placement of an advertisement exter- nally and if applicable internally within the business;
T thorough vetting of job applications received and applicants’
CVs;
T provision of the job description to applicants called to interviews;
T comprehensive interviews, and when dealing with senior indi- viduals such process should be a minimum of a two-stage interview process;
T obtaining proper references – a minimum of two references should be obtained and should not be from friends or family of the applicant;
T making an initial offer of employment conditional on certain factors (as outlined below).
Considered wording and placement of an advertisement
T Ensure that you advertise the post as widely as possible and to the most tailored market possible for the role you are seeking to fulfil.
T Ensure that the advertisement makes clear the ambit of the role and the type of organization the employee would be joining. If such wording is sufficiently thought out you will avoid misun- derstanding and ideally only attract suitable candidates who will meet the demands of the business.
In designing the advertisement, the basic details to be included are:
T job title;
T location;
T brief description of the key responsibilities and duties;
T qualifications, skills and experience required;
T salary and main benefits;
T how the application should be made.
Advertisements often omit information about salary for various reasons, such as not wishing to alert other staff, uncertainty about the rate for the job, hope that the hiring can be made cheaply, or even genuine flexibility. Generally, it is a mistake not to indicate salary range; lack of detail usually reduces the number of applicants.
Both in framing your recruitment advertisements and in inter- viewing take care not to offend against provisions of the Sex Discrimination Acts 1975 and 1986, the Race Relations Act 1976, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 or more recently the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 and Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003.
Thorough vetting of job applications received and applicants’ CVs
Again, it is important that you assess such details objectively.
Issues to look out for would be an excessive number of employers for the applicant’s age, any unexplained career gaps and that the applicant has appropriate qualifications and/or experience for the role.
When recruiting you will have to decide whether or not to use a standard application form or alternatively to ask candidates to submit a CV. When setting up your business you are less likely to be hiring senior staff, so an application form is more appropriate.
You can design your application form to provide all the basic infor- mation you need, so that it can be used as a template for interviews.
If you are advertising and expect a large number of responses, a structured application form will make it easier to compare appli- cants, and the information can be transferred readily to a database.
Provision of the job description to applicants called to interviews
This will generally make the interview more constructive and the applicant may be able to relate any existing experience they have to the proposed role. It will also ensure that the applicant is not under any misunderstanding of what the role requires.
Comprehensive interviews
Interviews are the best opportunity for assessing the suitableness of an applicant. It is often commented that interviewers make their minds up about an applicant in the first 60 seconds of meeting them. This should be resisted as it is too subjective a basis from which to make a sound and reliable decision. Though ‘gut feel’ is important, it should be supported by objective factors.
An objective structure for the interview should be prepared for all candidates, and thorough notes should be taken of each interview. This will prevent a decision being made prematurely and will also provide a helpful and objectivemeasure for comparing various candidates.
The more senior the role that is being filled, the greater the number of interview stages that should be included in the interview process. Also, it is always helpful to involve others in the selection process, again to prevent subjective influences domi- nating the selection process.
Interviewing face to face is a skilled activity in which most of us are unlikely to excel without considerable experience. However, when you start to interview selected applicants for jobs in your fledgling business you will probably have the experience of being interviewed yourself and have a fair idea of the techniques that do and don’t work. The following are among the important points to bear in mind when interviewing others:
T Make sure that enough time is set aside for each interview, that the location is suitable, away from outside noise, and that the interview is free from interruptions.
T Read all application forms or CVs and prepare questions in advance of interviews.
T Avoid any questions that might appear to be discriminatory on grounds of sex, race or disability (for example, ‘Do you intend to have (more) children in the near future?’ The answer to this may be an important issue for you as you are seeking continuity from the staff you engage, but you must not ask the question).
T Be sure to ask many open-ended questions that demand more than a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer, such as:
– What interests you about this job?
– Describe your present job.
– Why did you leave your last job?
– What do you consider to be your main strengths?
– Looking back over your career, what would you have done differently?
– What have been the biggest problems in your current (or last) job?
– What contribution can you make to this company?
T Remember to consider: how many previous employers the candidate has had. Has his or her progress been up, down or steady? Is this move part of the overall employment pattern?
T If the candidate is willing to take a large drop in salary find out why. There could be a perfectly good reason, but it is worth being cautious.
T Test the candidate’s reaction to your request to telephone his or her employer for a reference.
T Remember that the interviewee should do most of the talking.
Listen carefully to the answers, try to read between the lines, and do not hesitate to probe where there is lack of clarity.
T Keep notes and, in the absence of a photograph, write a short pen-portrait of each candidate. You may find it helpful to prepare an assessment form as a scorecard, where the candidate’s ability to satisfy the key attributes for the job can be rated on a three- or five-point scale.
T At the end of the interview, invite the candidate to ask any questions he or she has about the job or the company, and explain what will happen next and when he or she can expect to hear the outcome.
T Tell the candidate how to claim for any travel expenses in attending the interview.
Be careful that the job specification stays within the growing range of employment protection legislation. Many employment agencies will advise you on the dos and don’ts of these contentious areas before you start interviewing candidates.
Finally you should ensure that selection or non-selection of candidates has not been contrary to the candidates’ rights under the Sex Discrimination Acts 1975 and 1986, the Race Relations Act 1976, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 or more recently the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 and Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003.
Obtaining proper references
Ensure that a minimum of two references are obtained from parties that are not friends or family of the applicant.
Hard copy references, addressed ‘To whom it may concern’ are often agreed as part of an acrimonious termination of employment and so should be more carefully considered and questioned.
Ensure that all references are obtained. Often employers do not chase an errant reference when one favourable reference has been received. If a referee fails to respond to a request this in itself may be a point of concern. In such circumstances ask the candidate why this reference has not been forthcoming and request details of an alternative referee.
Ensure that all referees are also contacted by telephone to confirm and elaborate the details of the reference. This will prevent issues of fraud regarding the reference but also the referee may be prepared to be more truthful about the employee in an ‘off the record’ telephone discussion.
Making an initial offer of employment conditional on certain factors
Don’t keep the candidates you have interviewed waiting too long for a decision. Once you have made your selection, the first step is to be in touch with the successful candidate, conduct any final negotiation on salary or other terms, and write a job offer.
You may want to consider making the initial offer of employment conditional on:
T provision of satisfactory references;
T a probationary period of employment;
T satisfactory completion of induction procedures;
T medical fitness to work. Note that where the applicant is a disabled person within the meaning of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 consideration would have to be given to reasonable adjustments to enable the applicant to undertake the role.
Delay writing to other interviewed but unsuccessful candidates until you have a clear acceptance from your preferred choice, but you should then write to each of them, avoiding any detailed explanation of the reasons for rejection. You may be prepared to offer a verbal explanation if you think that will help the candidate in any subsequent application, but be careful not to suggest any covert discrimination in your choice.
As a minimum the job offer should contain:
T the title of the job;
T conditions of the offer (see above);
T definition of any probationary period;
T job location;
T details of wage or salary, payment intervals and annual review date;
T any significant benefits;
T hours of work;
T holiday entitlement;
T the starting date;
T to whom the new employee should report;
T further action (eg acceptance procedure, signing and returning a duplicate copy of the offer).
The job offer forms a part of the contract of employment with an employee, so it is important to make sure that the terms of the offer have been accepted. For this reason, it is normal to send the appointee a second copy of the job offer with a statement of acceptance at the end of the copy letter, to be signed and returned to you.