Square Peg, Round Hole? Part 2

Having defined your job, examined your organisational culture and management style, and decided what your ideal candidate is like, now you just have to find that person!

To give yourself the greatest chance of success, you need to make the best possible use of the tools at your disposal:

• The Advert: whether online or elsewhere, the more specific you are about essential experience or skills, the fewer time wasters you will attract
• The Recruitment Application form: to get the information that their CV leaves out, like why they left their last employer or what salary they are looking for
• The interview, or maybe two: a screening interview to refine the shortlist, followed by a more in-depth one, perhaps involving a work simulation exercise or presentation
• Ability and Aptitude Tests, Psychometric Assessment tools etc.
• References

Interviews

Unstructured interviews have been statistically shown to have a poor success rate.  To improve your chances, you need to ask good questions that probe deeply into what people have actually done and how they did it.  Jot down some questions based on their CV, or on scenarios that you know will crop up in your role, e.g.: “Tell me about a time when x happened.  How did you handle it and what was the outcome?”  Be smart: avoid telling people what you want and then asking whether they can deliver it, they are not going to say no!  Consider asking people to prepare something for the interview, such as a presentation: not only will you see how well they can present their ideas and use the IT, but the amount of effort they make will tell you how much they want the job!

Tests and assessment tools

To enhance your chances further, there are various tests and assessment tools out there which can tell you how well people cope with tasks under pressure – e.g. accurate number recognition for warehouse staff – or what their personality profile is.  The latter can help establish whether the person is a leader or a follower, whether they like working with people or prefer more analytical tasks, whether they are relaxed and patient or have a sense of urgency, whether they are comfortable with routine or crave variety and new challenges.  There are no right and wrong personalities; it depends on the requirements of the job.  

References

Finally, when you make a job offer, make it conditional on satisfactory references.  If the previous employer would happily re-employ the person, you are probably onto a good thing.  If they dismissed the person for dishonesty, you can withdraw the offer and save yourself a whole load of grief!

Because your business is worth it......

Recruiting the right person requires thought and preparation, but it can prevent many problems downstream.  Your employees help make the difference between an average business and an outstanding one, and investing time up front to find a square peg for your square hole will pay huge dividends in the end. 

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For assistance with all aspects of recruitment, contact mara@mthorneconsulting.co.uk or call 01372 700139.