The Startup Magazine Five tips for quick and efficient recruitment

For any business, having a strong team is a major key to success, and the secret to finding – and keeping – skilled staff is to have good recruitment procedures in place. This will help to ensure you hire qualified people who can do taheir jobs well, while also fitting in with the overall company culture.

Of course, if you’re not careful, the search for the perfect new member of staff could turn into a long, drawn-out process that costs your company time and resources.

So how do you recruit the best talent quickly and efficiently? Read on for five of our top tips.

1. Write a thorough job description
By creating a clear and specific job description, you can convey exactly what the vacancy entails and it will help job applicants better judge if they are qualified for the role. Meanwhile, if you’re working with a recruitment agency, an outline of the position will make it easier for consultants to judge a candidate’s suitability.

When writing a job description, be sure to list the major tasks that the role will entail, as well as any necessary qualifications and experience. It’s also advantageous to answer the question that every applicant will likely have: “What’s in it for me?” This means talking about the working environment and any benefits an employees will be given.

2. Know where to advertise
Posting job vacancies in the places where your ideal candidates are most likely to look is a must when it comes to speedy recruitment.

Depending on your industry and the role you’re hiring for, some of your options could include national newspapers, online job boards or industry publications. Social media platforms can be another option to consider, with LinkedIn being the site most suited for professional networking. Meanwhile, some companies have found success in casting a wide net on Twitter and Facebook.

3. Pre-screen candidates
Once all the applications have been received, you’ll need to start sorting through the candidates. The first step of this process will be to scan covering letters and CVs to create a short list. From there, many employers will jump straight to the interview process, but why not save yourself a little bit of time by carrying out some telephone-based vetting first?

In many cases, you won’t need to see a person face-to-face to get a good idea of whether they would be suitable for a role, and a phone conversation could save everyone time and disappointment. If you want more than one person in on the call, teleconferencing services, such as those from Buzz Conferencing, are an easy way to get everyone on the line at the same time.

4. The interview process
When it’s time to finally meet a candidate in person, it’s important to plan the interview carefully to ensure you have a thorough understanding of the applicant and their suitability for the role at the end of it all.

Think about the questions you want to ask and be sure to schedule plenty of time so that the discussion doesn’t have to feel rushed. Be sure to also start the interview by giving the candidate an explanation of the company and its core values and leave time at the end for the applicant to ask questions.

5. Meetings and training sessions
In most jobs, the first few days can involve a lot of training and meetings, giving the new employee an introduction to the organisation and ensuring they understand their duties. Having a good induction programme can be of real benefit to a company and its employees.

Various tools can be useful for these sessions, including computer presentations, videos and paper-based manuals. For companies with multiple locations, conference calls can also come in handy, ensuring the new employee meets all the right people, but without having to worry about the time and expense involved with travel.