Making the decision to recruit is a crucial point for any small business. There are several important factors that need to be taken into consideration; the legalities, the financial implications, the time it takes, the physical office space required, and a lot more. But, that being said, it is also a really exciting time for your business and just goes to show how far you’ve come!
Choosing the right time to recruit is imperative – too early, and you might experience cash flow problems, too late, and you may be unable to meet demand and fulfil your businesses potential.
The job description you use is absolutely pivotal to recruiting new staff to your business. You need to be very clear and accurate and focused on what you want, while also making it sound absolutely the most exciting job ever! Stress everything they’ll have the chance to get involved in; projects, travelling… whatever it is you need. You want to attract the right sort of candidates so be honest and transparent in your description to ensure the right people apply. There is little point in attracting a large number of potential recruits who will not be interested in the position once they learn exactly what will be involved. Make sure you shout about the opportunities for career progression and the training they’ll receive and also stress the culture of your company.
Which brings me onto my next point. Your company needs to sound irresistible! By sharing specific details about your business culture you can make it sound like a great place to work. A lot of businesses even use videos that show ‘a day in the life of such-and-such’ to demonstrate just how exciting it is. Think about the type of candidate that might be interested and advertise accordingly. For example, if you are looking to attract a graduate you need to talk about how they will be able to develop their career with you and the opportunities there may be for further progression.
The interview process is, of course, extremely important in ensuring you get the right person for the job. This is where you need to establish what each candidate can offer your business. While it will vary greatly depending on the type of business you are and the type of job on offer, there are certain fundamentals you need to establish. Having the necessary experience and education is important, but they shouldn’t be the only considerations. You will want someone who will be committed to their job and who will be willing to learn where required. The likelihood is that your new employee will be working with others so establishing who will be a good team player is important. Don’t forget that the right personality is also important. If your new employee will be working as part of a team they will need to be someone you feel will fit in with those they will be working with.
For many small businesses there is no HR department to deal with the recruitment of new staff, so more often than not it falls to the directors of the company. This can be time consuming, particularly as a lot of time needs to be wholly dedicated to the candidate search to find the perfect person. That is when using a recruitment agency comes in handy. Recruitment agencies can assist you in finding high calibre candidates, and take away all the stress and the mundane/time consuming role of sifting through CV’s. Therefore, a small business may wish to consult a recruitment agency if they require assistance in finding the perfect person for their new position.
Further reading on employing staff
- 7 hiring strategy dos and don’ts for high-growth SMEs – Hiring with growth in mind is essential for your business. Hannah Dawson of Futrli explains how you should go about recruiting staff.
- What’s the right way to go about advertising jobs for my small business? – If you think you should be advertising jobs but want to hire internally, what do you do?
