The Guide to Good Recruitment

You’re trying to get the top talent for your vacancy, but competition is fierce and there are already lots of opportunities for people with the skills you need. So how do you stand out from the crowd? Focusing on building a lasting relationship right from the start will help you attract, and then keep, the best of the best.

Your roadmap to success

The journey through your application process, with clear, carefully-planned milestones, is key to getting the right person. We share our tips for well-rounded recruitment with candidate experience central to every step.

Use these alongside the downloadable checklist to measure where you’re at now and the areas you need to improve.

Fail to prepare – prepare to fail

You already know the basics, but a solid foundation will set you off on the right foot. Preparatory documents, along with timely and transparent communication, create a smoother ride for your candidates – and you’ll reach your destination quicker.

Advice

When you’re advertising, matching the expectations of your ideal employee is the first step to a positive candidate experience. The second step is transparency about the salary, saving both you and your applicants time by being clear about what you are offering from the get-go.
Creating a workflow for the communications you need to send, including timeframes, will help you schedule what needs to be sent and when. Can you think of anything more frustrating than applying for a job and receiving only radio silence?
Anticipating a waterfall of applications? A structured form makes soft skill assessment easier. For positions that are more focused on hard skills, providing a CV template will make filtering by eye easier. This also prevents potential candidates from having document formatting issues – which could cause you to miss out on the right person.

Searching in the right places

To find the best talent you need to actively cultivate opportunities. Put simply, knowing where candidates are actively open to work is important. However, knowing how to engage people that are not currently searching is how you uncover the best talent.

Advice

LinkedIn and job boards are the bread and butter of advertising your vacancy. But have you entered other social forums where people discuss and debate opportunities? Joining groups and communities related to your industry, the specific role, or the location you are recruiting will open new avenues for your search. Taking the time to build relationships in the right habitats shows your organisation is committed to finding, and keeping, talent – not simply filling positions.
Not generating the number of responses you anticipated? Don’t rush into a rash decision, simply redefine your terms of employment. If you can offer more flexibility in terms of contract types or work arrangements – permanent, temporary, remote, hybrid, freelance, consulting, project-based, and contracting – you’ll have a wider net for the next round of your campaign.

Showing face value

Do your progression frameworks, benefits, learning opportunities, wellbeing support, and sustainability initiatives align with what your ideal employee wants? Your employee value proposition – the culture in your organisation, the perks they’ll get working for you, and the support you offer – will tell people everything they need to know.

Advice

It's essential you clearly signpost your values along the journey – from your initial job post to your final interviews. Knowing your employee value proposition inside out will prepare you for any questions about working at your organisation and highlights the unique experience you offer. Set yourself apart and you will engage the people who are the perfect fit.
Learning and development is a vital part of the career journey and the need for new skills isn’t limited to just one sector – it’s an imperative for everyone, everywhere. Communicate your development initiatives in the job description and prepare examples of career progression through upskilling for your interviews. Everyone who applies will know you’re serious about building careers from day one.

Diving into a deeper pool

The right person can transform your organisation – whatever their background, experience and education. Ensuring the processes on your journey are inclusive and free from bias is not just the right thing to do, it will expand your potential pool of applicants.

Advice

Using a blind CV policy – where personally identifiable information, such as name, gender, and age is not required – is a simple and effective way of removing unconscious bias from your initial screening process.
Communicate your equity, diversity and inclusion policies and strategies clearly in your job description, throughout your interviews and in any documentation you send. Demonstrating your commitment to diversity will give you a greater chance of finding the best people and securing loyalty in the long run.

Ready to take the next steps

Now you are mindful of everything you need to consider, it’s time to take an inventory of what you have in place and what you need to source. Download the checklist on the right of this page to map your route to successful recruitment.

Download the checklist here

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