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Step by step recruitment

The cost of employing the wrong person can be enormous: wasted time, wasted training, mistakes, replacement costs, legal action ... the list goes on. Making the right decision can therefore directly contribute to improving your business performance.

Our guide takes you through the essential steps to effective recruitment and will:

  • give you some standard documentation to use
  • draw attention to the discrimination considerations Paid up members, or Pay as you go.
  • help you to attract and select the right person for the job
  • minimise the risk of poor and costly recruitment decisions.

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Before you jump in, fully consider the role that is needed. If this is a new post, create a job description Paid up members, or Pay as you go.. If an existing post, review the job description to ensure that it properly describes the current role, and if necessary change or update this to meet your current and known future requirements.

The job description will not only help you to decide what you need, it also provides a useful summary of the job for potential applicants, agencies, job centres etc. See our guide to writing a job description Paid up members, or Pay as you go..

Check that your budget allows you to recruit to this role, and if your business has a particular procedure for gaining authority to commence recruiting, ensure that you follow this! We have come across many examples of managers starting recruitment without the appropriate go-ahead, which wastes both their and the candidates' time, and also does not reflect well on your business.

Decide what skills, experience, qualifications and attributes someone will need to do the job. Create a person specification Paid up members, or Pay as you go.: this clarifies what type of person you need to do the job. Ensure that your requirements are not discriminatory. See our guides to writing a person specification Paid up members, or Pay as you go. and to discrimination in recruitment Paid up members, or Pay as you go..

There are a variety of ways in which you may do this:

  • The Internet - an increasingly popular choice.
  • Your local Job Centre - there's no cost and it can be very effective.
  • An internal advert or notice aimed at current employees who may be keen to apply.
  • An advert in local or national press or professional/industry publications.
  • A file of any previous applicants.
  • A notice in your window or that of a local shop or library.
  • Schools or colleges.
  • A referral scheme to encourage your employees to suggest suitable candidates for your vacancies.

When advertising, remember to:

  • make the job and the organisation sound interesting, but don't oversell the job - be realistic.
  • include key factors such as location, job title, salary, overview of the role.
  • include key essential skills from the person specification to avoid receiving applications from candidates who do not meet the essential requirements - wasting their time and yours.
  • Ask questions instead of making statements. Are you keen to work with employees? Do you thrive in an environment of rapid growth? Would you like to put your PC skills to full advantage?
  • Exclude any stipulations which could be seen as discriminatory Paid up members, or Pay as you go. eg applying an age Paid up members, or Pay as you go. restriction which is not necessary. Don't use words which could be considered discriminatory eg "lively, enthusiastic" could imply "young"; "mature and experienced" could imply "older".
  • If possible, include the closing date plus the date of interview.

See our guide to writing job adverts Paid up members, or Pay as you go..

Make a shortlist Paid up members, or Pay as you go.. Use a matrix containing the essential and desirable elements of your person specification Paid up members, or Pay as you go. and consider each application against this to establish who should be interviewed. Consider each applicant against these elements. Candidates who don't have all the essential criteria should not be shortlisted unless training could be given in a relatively short timeframe.

Ideally get applicants to complete an application form Paid up members, or Pay as you go. (even if you have their CVs) as it ensures that you get the same information in the same format from each candidate. This reduces the possibility of bias and discrimination Paid up members, or Pay as you go.. Ensure that you select for interview those who match the specifications, regardless of their age Paid up members, or Pay as you go., sex Paid up members, or Pay as you go., race Paid up members, or Pay as you go., sexual orientation Paid up members, or Pay as you go., religion or belief Paid up members, or Pay as you go. or disability Paid up members, or Pay as you go., and that the specifications are not themselves discriminatory.

If you are inundated with suitable candidates and cannot possibly interview them all, the fairest way to select for interview is randomly, eg select every fourth application from the pile.

You may wish to inform Paid up members, or Pay as you go. the candidates who did not make the short-list, or you may wish to leave this until the interviews are complete.

Interview your short-listed candidates. Remember that your job is not only to assess the best candidate for the job, but also to create a great impression of your organisation.

Try to set aside time to interview all of your candidates on one day to ensure you have a fair comparison. Follow our step by step guide to interviewing.

The interview will provide you with some information but check it out before offering a job. Ways in which you could do this include:

  • Taking up references Paid up members, or Pay as you go..
    You must have the specific permission of the applicant to do so, particularly if you wish to contact his/her current employer. If you need them quickly, try phoning.
  • Get others to see your preferred candidate(s). This could be done informally, eg someone could show them around or talk to them about their job, or more formally at another interview. In these circumstances ensure that this is clearly part of the interview process - inform the candidates; ask those involved to assess the candidates against agreed criteria. Use the process to cover in more depth parts of the job description Paid up members, or Pay as you go./person specification Paid up members, or Pay as you go.. Know what you are trying to achieve from each interaction and make sure any feedback is given in a structured way.
  • Ask the candidate to do a presentation, a case study, some tests or a full assessment. Ensure that these are relevant to the job and enable them to demonstrate skills or abilities which are genuinely required.

Select your candidate. Be objective and unbiased. Choose the person who best fits your person specification Paid up members, or Pay as you go..

Inform ALL candidates of the outcome. It is extremely discourteous to not bother telling those who have been unsuccessful. Each recruitment exercise is also a PR exercise for your business. Inform candidates of the outcome quickly and, if practical, offer each unsuccessful candidate feedback on his/her performance.

Reject Paid up members, or Pay as you go. the unsuccessful candidates who did not make the short-list, and reject Paid up members, or Pay as you go. the candidates who were interviewed but were unsuccessful.

Follow our step by step guide to making a job offer for your chosen candidate.

Keep details of your rejected employees for at least six months so that you have them should you receive a discrimination claim and need to justify your selection decision. You may wish to keep some details longer if they could be of interest when another vacancy arises but bear in mind the requirements of the Data Protection Act Paid up members, or Pay as you go. and ensure that the candidate has been informed that you are retaining his/her details for future consideration for other vacancies.

For your successful candidate:

  • prepare and send the appropriate documentation
  • make up the employee's personnel file Paid up members, or Pay as you go. and
  • arrange the induction plan Paid up members, or Pay as you go..

  • If someone leaves, take the opportunity to decide what you really want to do next. It is an obvious option to go for a like for like replacement but the best option could be to restructure, redistribute or automate tasks.
     
  • Consider how you could give opportunities to your current team members when you have a vacancy. They may require some initial training but this could be a better option all round than bringing in someone new to do the job, and if staff can see the opportunities for career progression this will assist your retention.
     
  • Give applicants a balanced and accurate picture. Point out the terrific things about the job but don't hide its less attractive features. Creating a realistic expectation will help you to retain employees and not break the psychological contract Paid up members, or Pay as you go..
     
  • Do consider paying travel expenses, especially to those who have travelled a fair distance to meet you.

Bear in mind that there are many legal considerations which apply to recruitment. We suggest you review the following if you are not fully informed on these issues:

  • recruitment - discrimination considerations Paid up members, or Pay as you go.
  • criminal records and CRB checks Paid up members, or Pay as you go.
  • data protection Paid up members, or Pay as you go.
  • equal pay Paid up members, or Pay as you go.
  • fixed-term contracts Paid up members, or Pay as you go.
  • foreign nationals Paid up members, or Pay as you go.
  • national minimum wage Paid up members, or Pay as you go.
  • part-timers Paid up members, or Pay as you go.
  • pensions Paid up members, or Pay as you go.
  • safeguarding vulnerable groups Paid up members, or Pay as you go.
  • young people and children Paid up members, or Pay as you go..

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

We are thinking of using telephone screening to reduce the numbers of those invited to interview. Are there any pitfalls?

Particularly for roles where you are likely to attract a large number of applicants, and particularly for jobs which require good telephone skills, telephone screening may assist in your shortlisting of candidates as long as the questions are non-discriminatory, based on the application form and the decision whether or not to invite to interview is based on responses in line with your person specification.

Do ensure that your screening is not indirectly discriminatory - so that anyone with a hearing problem, or whose first language is not English, is not unfairly disadvantaged. Don't take telephone skills or language skills into account if these are not a requirement of the job.

Ensure that you have a list of clear questions and guidelines on scoring so that all of your call handlers are consistent in their ratings.

We don't want to fall foul of disability discrimination. How do we ensure interview arrangements are suitable for all candidates when we don't know if any have mobility or otherissues?

When writing to invite candidates to interview it is good practice to include: "If you require any specific adjustments, arrangements or support to attend this interview, please contact (name) on (telephone) by (date)."

Then take any necessary steps to overcome any issues. If mobility is an issue, consider your location. Is it on the ground floor? Is there lift /wheelchair access? Is parking provided nearby? How accessible is it by public transport?

It is worth noting that there may be issues to consider other than mobility too, ie hearing/sight/language issues.

A candidate recently asked if we reimbursed travel costs for interview. We don't but should we consider this?

Some employers do offer to reimburse costs but you are under no legal obligation to do so. You can help to keep costs to a minimum by considering travel times, ie if rail travel is involved, arrange interviews so the candidates do not have to travel at peak times. Give those who are coming a fair distance an interview slot in the middle of the day to negate the need for an overnight stay. If this cannot be done, then you may wish to offer a contribution to the actual cost of overnight accommodation but ensure you are clear about how much this is or you may face an expensive bill!

Candidates who are claiming benefits may be able to get assistance with travel costs and you should advise them to take this up with their job centre.

Are we allowed to insist on a pre-employment medical prior to joining us? If so, under what circumstances would we be able to withdraw our offer?

It is perfectly acceptable to require employees to have a pre-employment medical, provided that everyone is treated consistently. The primary reasons are to ensure that you are aware of any medical conditions which are present before joining, and to ensure that any reasonable adjustments are made to the employee's working conditions, if required.

The only time it would be fair to withdraw an offer would be in situations where a medical condition could be exacerbated by the particular job or where the condition presents an unacceptable risk to the organisation. For example, someone with asthma working in confined dusty spaces or someone with a back problem bending and lifting heavy items.

There are certain guidelines Paid up members, or Pay as you go. to follow regarding the protection and use of medical data. Also see our guide to avoiding discrimination in recruitment Paid up members, or Pay as you go..

We genuinely require our employees to cover unsociable hours from time to time and are worried that mothers with younger children will not be able manage this. Given this need, can we ask them directly at interview?
Yes and no! You cannot ask this question specifically of females or those you presume to be mothers as this would be directly discriminatory. You must not assume there will be childcare difficulties (or that male candidates will not have similar issues) as you have no idea what arrangements candidates have in place.

Given the genuine need for out of office hours working, it is fair to point this out to all candidates (male and female) and ask if their domestic circumstances (which could include caring for a relative) allow them to meet these requirements.

 

 

 

 

 
   
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