1. Using your existing employees as a source of referrals is a great way locate suitable candidates. Before advertising or engaging an external agency, you should seek internal referrals. You could offer an incentive to your existing employees in way of a small bonus if they refer someone to you that you subsequently hire. The cost of any bonus will likely be far less than the cost of an external agency or prolonged advertising.
2. If you don’t have the time to actively search for candidates personally then you should seek the help of a recruitment company. If you intend on using an agency you should ensure they are experts in your market and as such have an existing database of suitable candidate readily available to you. Recruitment agencies can also be invaluable in providing market information including current salary information allowing you to remain competitive at offer stage.
3. A structured recruitment process is invaluable when interviewing candidates. You should never make a hiring decision based on emotions alone. The person specification is an essential element of the hiring decision and personality fit matters, but it should never be the sole reason for hiring. Competency interviewing is a great way to test the candidate’s competencies against the criteria of your job description. There is a huge amount of free resource online that can provide competency interview guidance.
4. At the end of the recruitment process comes the candidate selection and offer. It can be frustrating having invested a great deal of time in the recruitment process if you get to offer stage and the offer is declined. Managing expectations along the way can reduce this risk, but it’s also important to offer the right package to ensure a successful outcome. Consider what’s competitive in today’s market and make sure your offer is in-line with this. A good offer will show the candidate you are serious about hiring the right individual.
