The balance between achieving an efficient recruitment process and complying with legal requirements is a difficult one to achieve.
That’s why we’ve created this free guide to recruitment.
Perhaps a member of your staff has resigned. Or maybe your organisation is growing at such a rate that you need to take on more people. Whatever your need to recruit, it is essential that you look at all the alternatives before you start. With careful planning, you may find that you don’t need to […]
Now that you have considered the roles and responsibilities of the job, and the type of person you are looking for, it is time to consider the main terms and conditions of the position. Part-time or full-time? Whether the position you are recruiting for is a new one, or you are recruiting to replace someone […]
Whether you plan to recruit online or offline, by yourself or with help from an agency, you need to consider how applicants will submit their applications. Traditionally, you would ask candidates to submit a CV with covering letter. Whilst this may still work for you, increasingly organisations are adopting dedicated application forms, which request specific […]
Whether you are recruiting internally or externally, at some stage you will need to put together an advertisement that describes the position, and invites applications. But how should you word one? What should you include? Writing a Recruitment Advertisement Anyone will tell you that the purpose of a recruitment advertisement is to attract good candidates. […]
Increasingly organisations are using the Internet as a recruitment source. There are hundreds of recruitment sites online, so where do you begin? How can you be sure that your vacancy will be seen by suitable candidates? What is online recruitment? At its most simple, online recruitment involves placing details of your job vacancies on a […]
Whether or not you use an agency in your hunt for the ideal candidate, there are a number of other external recruitment sources which may work for you and your organisation Jobcentres If you place details of your vacancy on a display card at the local job centre, it is likely to be seen by […]
If you have exhausted the possibilities of recruiting internally, it is time to look outside the organisation. Recruitment agencies and headhunters provide a range of professional services that might suit your needs ideally. Specialist agencies Recruitment agencies are known by a number of different names, although in essence they perform the same broad functions. Many […]
By now you should know what sort of person you are looking for. The question you need to address now is where will you find them? Before you spend money on advertising the vacancy externally, have a look around you. Your new recruit may already be working within your organisation. Transfers and promotions If your […]
If you have advertised your vacancy effectively, then you should receive a suitable number of applications on or before the closing date you set. Your role now is to decide which applicants to invite for interview, and which to reject. How many to shortlist? The response you get to a recruitment advertisement will vary dramatically […]
The interview is well and truly underway. Although what the candidate is saying is very important, there are other signals that he is she is giving off. What is their body language telling you? Are you listening attentively to what they are saying? Observation of both spoken and silent communication is vital during the interview. […]
So, the candidate is taking his seat in the interview room. Their application is in front of you and the interview is about to begin. Do you feel prepared? Do you know the types of questions to ask? Would you know what to do if the conversation dries up? Question Preparation: Is this you? It […]
So, you have chosen an interview method, and have invited shortlisted candidates for interview. Your colleagues are ready, the interview room is set up, and the candidates are beginning to arrive. First impressions count for you and the interviewee, so what do you need to do to make sure the interview starts well? Greeting and […]
So now you have identified who you plan to interview, the next question to consider is how? There are several types of interview you could conduct, involving various people in your organisation. So what interview methods are available to you, and how should you go about organising them? Types of interview There are a number […]
Having considered the various ways you can ask questions, it is now time to look at the different interview styles. If you have ever been interviewed yourself, you will know that they vary considerably in the way they are conducted. Some seem more like informal chats than interviews, whilst others are very formal and sombre. […]
At various stages throughout the recruitment process you will need to write to unsuccessful candidates to reject them. You should reject all but your interview shortlist as soon as you can, but you could defer rejecting your final shortlist until your preferred candidate has accepted your offer of employment. So how should you reject a […]
So you have reached your decision about who to appoint. Now it is time to make them an offer, and negotiate terms and conditions. What will you do if they turn your offer down? What if another organisation makes a counter offer? If they accept, what conditions should you impose on your job offer? When […]
So the first interviews are over. Now it is time to review all the candidates that you have seen. This is a very important step and one you must take as soon after the first interviews are concluded as possible. If you have conducted several interviews over a short time period then your memory of […]
In addition to the interview itself, there are a number of selection methods and tests that you can ask your shortlisted candidates to perform. Which tests work best, and which are appropriate for your vacancy? For many vacancies, the process of shortlisting candidates from an application form or CV, then conducting one or more interviews, […]
You have a duty at all times to ensure that your recruitment procedures are fair, legal and anti-discriminatory. There are four main areas of discrimination covered by legislation: Equal pay; sexual discrimination; racial discrimination; Disability. You need to be particularly careful not to discriminate in your recruitment procedures, especially when placing job advertisements. There is […]
Your new employee has accepted your offer, and agreed to your offer of employment. They have served notice with their current employer and have turned up for their first day’s work with your organisation. What preparation should you have made? How should you use your new recruit’s first days with you? What ground do you […]
There are all sorts of legal requirements associated with employing staff nowadays. What is a ‘written statement’? When should you issue one to your new member of staff? What other legal obligations must you fulfil? What types of contract are there? What type of contract of employment is right for you? Employment contracts Whether in […]
