2024 Recruitment Tips

Recruitment may be one of the most costly internal exercises you carry out in your business. It pays to try and get it right first time so that you recruit quickly, efficiently and effectively. This article takes you through the process and gives you tips and advice about where you may be able to improve your recruitment process.

Plan The Questions

Use information from the candidate’s application form or CV to prepare a set of questions.
Look for any gaps in education or employment, or things that don’t seem to add up.
Beware of possible discrimination or bias in the questions you ask. It could mean you miss the best candidate and may also be unlawful.
Know the job and person requirements of the job really well so that your questions help you compare candidates.
If two or more people are interviewing candidates, decide who will deal with what topics in advance of the interviews.
Think about what information candidates may want about the job and your organisation.
Prepare some open-ended questions – ones which need more than a “yes” or “no” to answer – to ask all candidates, for example:
What were/are your main responsibilities in your previous job?
Why did/do you want to leave your previous job?
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
Looking back at your career, what would you have done differently?

Making Arrangements For The Interview

Make sure that the interview room is properly prepared, with drinks and stationery available.
It’s best not to hold the interview sitting behind a desk or use a higher chair than the person being interviewed – sit at a round table if possible.
Find out if a candidate has any special needs before they arrive.
Make sure there will be no interruptions, for example, switch off mobile phones.
Brief other members of staff, such as receptionists, to expect the candidate.
Allow enough time for the interview so you don’t have to rush.
Come to each interview with an open mind.

Carrying Out The Interview

Prepare your questions in advance of the interview. Your aim is to get quality information from the candidate so you can assess them fairly and fully against your needs.
Welcome the candidate – try to put them at ease.
Introduce yourself and other people present.
Explain the structure of the interview.
Don’t start by discussing the Company or role; get the candidate to speak first.
Encourage the candidate to talk about how their skills and experience apply to the vacancy.
Ask open-ended questions – ones that cannot be answered with a yes or no.
Allow the candidate time to think and speak.
Keep control of the interview. If you feel the candidate is going off-track, turn the conversation back to the information you need.
Outline the company background and role, and where the job fits.
At the end of the interview, ask the candidate if they have any questions.
Inform them of the next stage in the recruitment process, e.g. appointment, second interviews, tests and the estimated timescales.
Thank the candidate for their time.

Testing

In order to ensure that you are recruiting the best candidate, we would always suggest that you test all candidates at final interview stage. This will ensure that they can prove to you that they can do what they say they can. Below are a few tips on how to approach candidate testing.

As a minimum, ensure that any tests include Maths and English elements.
Make sure the tests are relevant to the role you are recruiting for e.g. written letters for admin roles or presentations for sales roles.
Make sure the tests are timed with a cut off to provide some form of pressure to the test.
Devise a scoring matrix to benchmark the scores accurately and objectively.

Keeping Recruitment Process Records

Back up interviews with a detailed record of the procedure, written as soon as possible after the interview.
Only record what has been said in the interview and how the selection decision was made, not your personal beliefs or thoughts about the candidate
Be aware that candidates who later make a complaint to an employment tribunal have the right to ask for copies of any notes made during the interview, and that you may need them for defending any possible discrimination case relating to the process.

Only record or keep personal data after an interview if it is necessary and relevant to the recruitment process or in respect of a discrimination challenge. Data that is kept should be securely stored and destroyed in line with the Company’s Data Protection Policy.

If you have any concerns or questions, please contact Jon at jon@hrmartuk.com or call us on 01903 754107.