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How can you identify the right candidates for your business?
Making the right hire requires strategic planning. It’s about matching the unique strengths of the recruit with the needs of the organisation – not necessarily finding the most qualified or even the most enthusiastic candidate.
After all, even Batman accepted that he might have been the hero that Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. Here are three top tips for businesses to identify the right candidates for optimum employee performance:
1. Clearly defining the job requirements and responsibilities
Know what you’re looking for. Ironing out the particulars of what qualifications the recruit should have will enable you to zero in on the type of applicant you are hoping to attract, allowing you to craft an accurate and enticing job description that finds the right eyes.
Organise your description so that it answers the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘where’, ‘how’, and ‘why’ of the job:
Step 1. Why do you need to hire them? Identify what is missing from the team, department, or company, and how the talent gap might jeopardise operations or growth objectives. For example, do you need to increase brand awareness? Hire a marketing manager or social media specialist.
Step 2. How will they contribute to the overall success of the company? Pull from your business Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to clarify how the new employee should accelerate progress towards meeting these goals.
Step 3. When and where will they work? Define the typical work schedule of the role, as well as whether it is in-person or in-office. Consider the wider team they will need to work with, as well as who they will report to and, if relevant, who they might supervise.
Step 4. What are the essential duties of the job? Define the functions that the employee must be able to perform in order to be successful in the role day-to-day. Explain how they service an overall goal (eg. phone answering for improved customer service).
Step 5. Who should the candidate be? Outline what experience you expect them to have, values they should embody, and broader professional goals that might be relevant. Highlight the necessary training they might need to specifically integrate with your business.
2. Developing a thorough recruitment process
One of the most useful procedures you can instil for human resource (HR) management is an effective, streamlined recruitment process. This is a series of steps designed to take the hiring team from job posting and advertising, through to passing probation.
Luckily, if you’ve completed the above, you’ll already have an established job definition to work with, which means you’ll have completed the first two steps: planning your recruitment process and writing the job description. The next steps are as follows:
1. Target candidates via a well-placed job advert. Locate where you will be most likely to find top candidates and market the position here. This might be a company website, LinkedIn, via networking contacts, or even social media.
Remember to also include materials like your company mission statement and core values. In today’s labour market, candidates are increasingly prioritising meaningful work, which means this information could be critical for securing their buy-in.
2. Screen CVs and applications. Screening typically involves reviewing CVs, cover letters, and other application materials. An informal call with the job seeker may also be conducted during the screening phase.
Screening is also the optimum time to inquire about salary expectations. If the company has a very different view on what the position’s salary band should be, it is preferable to identify such discrepancies early on, rather than after a more extensive interview process.
3. Conduct interviews. Plan the format and duration of the interview, considering role requirements, candidate background, and any references provided. Prepare a list of questions that the CV wasn’t able to answer, such as motivations for leaving a previous job.
In addition to a Q&A, various assessments may also be employed to evaluate a candidate’s technical or professional competencies. We’ll explain more about how best to appraise a recruit’s performance in the section below.
4. Make an offer. After the interview process, the team should score each candidate on their performance to arrive at an overall ‘winner’. Now, it’s time for the exciting part: extending a job offer.
Whether by phone, email, or in-person, give details of remuneration, notice period, and start date. Any information should also be sent over in written form to record what was discussed. Once the employee contact has been signed, the deal is done – you’ve made your hire!
3. Using a variety of assessment methods
Most of us think of the standard question-and-answer format when picturing a job interview. But today’s recruiters are increasingly recognising that not everyone excels in this setting.
Adopting a multi-pronged assessment approach is now seen as the fairest approach to ensure that certain personality types are not unduly favoured. Relying solely on interviews could overlook the strengths of candidates who are less eloquent or outspoken, for example.
Cross-referencing the results from numerous tests also promises a more engaging experience for candidates, who feel their skills and abilities are being thoroughly evaluated.
Here are five common tests and exercises to introduce during the interview stage:
1. Skills tests: in technical roles, it is very common to have candidates take a skills test in subjects like mathematics, coding, or even machine operation. This is to assess whether the bullet points they’ve bragged about on their CV are real, so it’s a good idea to introduce it between the screening and interviewing stages.
2. Psychometric tests: personality tests aim to uncover an applicant’s interests, values and motivation.There are no wrong answers in a personality test. The results are intended to inform managers about how the applicant might fit together within the broader team, not whether they have ‘passed’ or ‘failed’ the interview.
3. Case studies: closely related to a skills test, the employee is given a real-life situation that they would face in the role to demonstrate their expertise. For example, a PR manager might be asked to complete a press release for a client within the typical timeframe and setting the role would require.
4. Trial shifts: most commonly used by firms in the service industry, trial shifts are a chance to put the interviewee into action to see if they have the necessary skills required. Be aware that employers are advised to pay workers at least the national minimum wage for any trial shifts they are asked to undertake, in order to avoid a potential legal entanglement.
5. Presentations: particularly for more senior roles, many employers ask candidates for presentations as proof of how they might carry out complex managerial tasks, like project management. Presentations take time and effort so be wary of giving the new hire too much to complete. Some applicants may be put off by a task that will take days to work up.
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