Selecting and hiring the right person for your company is an art form. If you do it well, you’re virtually assured of success in business. Whether you’re looking to recruit direct or contract labour hire, wading through a pile of resume responses is daunting, and screening applicants feels like an awful task that takes you away from what you do best.
It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch, so much so that a single bad hire wastes your time, could potentially ruin the whole team’s motivation and have an impact on your customer service. This will negatively affect productivity, and ultimately, impact the bottom line.
However, bringing in the right candidate to fill a role in your company is not an easy task. Potential hires that look good on paper do not always guarantee the right fit.
Someone who doesn’t shine during the interview might prove to be a better performer, even when compared to someone else who passes it with flying colours. Finding candidates for the right role goes beyond technical skills or a good resume. Other factors must be considered as well.
Here are five ways to help improve your attraction, recruitment and retention
- Maintain Employer Brand
When you are known as an employer of choice in your industry, it will be that much easier to find qualified candidates and attract the right candidate as well.
Good talent is drawn to companies who take care of their employees. Having a competitive remuneration package is a good start, including good compensation and an array of customisable options like flexible starting times, career development pathways and health benefits to mention a few.
For example, working families will appreciate a flexible schedule to help them achieve a better work-life balance. Millennials seek employers who offer remote work arrangements, and this can be managed as long as deliverables are produced on time and within budget.
Find ways to make people want to work for your organisation so that good quality talent will want to join your team. Industry awards can increase your company’s profile, so make sure that you include these recognition programs in your marketing efforts to make it easier for talent to find you.
- Leverage Technology or Expertise
Even when all the roles in your company have been filled, searching for candidates and building your talent pipeline should be an ongoing process. Use you networks and social media to identify and nurture future talent.
Keep the lines of communication open. Don’t let the lack of vacancy or budget stop you from reaching out to potential performers. Having the right candidates on hand will save you considerable time and resources when an opening does come up in the future.
If time is your enemy, outsource the process to a reputable recruitment consultant. The good ones will maintain the network of candidates for you and be able candidates suitable aligned to your culture and values.
- Structured your recruitment process
Following a clear set of guidelines during the recruitment process helps compare apples with apples and be swayed by those who interview well and have a great alignment with your personality. Avoid snap judgments during the recruitment process. Despite the interviewer’s best intentions, their innate set of beliefs usually affects the outcome of the interview.
Ensure you have built in the following to your Recruitment Process;
- Start with a Job description
- Design a set of customised Interview questions
- Reply to all applicants, whether they are suitable or not
- Screen your shortlisted candidates thoroughly
- Match Culture and Values
Aligning shared culture and values will go a long way in ensuring the new employee fits into the company culture. Having a supportive work environment populated by peers who share their passion will allow employees to put their best work forward and thrive within the organisation.
Start by designing your interview questions around what your organisation stands for and look for answers that resonate and are communicated honestly. The use of psychometric testing not only reveals aligned culture and value it can also provide you with a future development pathway for a new employee who aligns with the company well.
When it comes down to choosing between someone with a good work ethic versus the right skill set, the most successful businesses go for the former. Most technical know-how can be trained, but competencies, attributes and behaviours such as an individual’s personality cannot easily be changed to fit a role.
Overall, when it comes to finding the right candidate, attitude is a better gauge than the right skill sets. Technical know-how can be imparted, but a good work ethic is an innate quality that can’t easily be taught. Someone who is passionate about your brand will do whatever it takes to ensure that your company becomes a success.
- On board your new employee
Building a strong employer brand is the foundation of successful talent recruitment and retention. From the minute your new employees accept an offer, they will be forming opinions that will collectively become the basis of your company’s external reputation.
A strong employee on-boarding program should show that you’re focused on employee success, that you care about their development, and be driven by a supportive company culture.
By curating a great employee on-boarding experience, you will encourage new employees to hit the ground running, reach their full potential, and be great representatives of your employer brand.
A good boarding plan will include;
- Day 1 to Day 5 Plan, Induction and Alignment
- 30-60-90-180-360 Day Road map of check-ins, feedback and review
- Assigned buddies or mentors
- Accessible and Transparent Policies and Procedures
- Learning and Development pathway
Brad Pense
Managing Director