The hiring process is key to business success, and it has clearly been shown that who your business employs is a key determinant of how well you do as a business. Here are the critical aspects or essentials that must be in place for the hiring of new employees.
What you need to include in your hiring process
The following aspects and functions should be the basis of any hiring process, and any business looking for a new employee should follow the procedures set out below.
Details and rationale of the specific job
The first thing you need in hiring and recruiting a new employee is the rationale for the job or role. The business must be able to prove why it needs the specific skill set being looked for and what benefit the role brings to the company. This should be coupled with a very clear job description, benefits, and the overall cost to the company that the role will incur.
The advert for prospective employees
In order to attract and hire the right people, you need to advertise in the right places and the right ways. The advert that is put out for the role is a key part of this process. The advertisement also sets out the entire process for filling the role and hiring for the position. An application form or request for a CV to be completed on a generic form allowing you to easily compare the candidates should also form part of this process.
Tests
Include a series of tests to determine the suitability of the candidate for the specific role and test to see if there is a match with company culture and their willingness to work as part of a team. These are both essential and necessary components of any recruitment and hiring tests, but do not have to be actual exams or challenges – you might just want to have a coworker take them to lunch and see how they find them as a person. These tests can also be used as a shortlisting process to further prove suitability for the role and whittle those candidates who have applied down to a manageable amount to interview.
An interview process
This is generally the best means of determining employee suitability. The skills and experience of the employee can be top-notch, but if they don’t interview well and aren’t able to communicate why they are the right person for the role (and show how they will be able to integrate with the business and those already employed), then they may not be considered for the role. The interview process can be virtual or in person, as long as you are able to interact with the candidate and have a conversation with them.
Referencing
Once you have a potential candidate, the next step in the process will be to contact their references. You need to prove that the possible employee has worked where they say they have and what their references think about their suitability for the current role.
The job offer
Once you have the right person and have confirmed all their personal and professional details. If you have received their references and any security checks, you can make a job offer to the person concerned. Many professional employers will ask ‘should I have employment contracts for my staff?’ And the clear answer is, Yes. It must be clear what is being offered, if there is any opportunity to adjust and amend the offer, when it needs to be responded to, and when the potential start date is. The job offer is normally initially made verbally, followed up with a formal letter asking the new employee to note their acceptance within a certain timeframe.
Onboarding
The onboarding process is about introducing the employee to the business and easing them into the role. Part of this process should include signing a contract, an induction day and a discussion around the job description and responsibilities for the new employee.
Conclusion
Hiring a new employee can be an arduous and long-winded process. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the people who make it all the way to the interview process are going to be the right people. This may necessitate the process being followed and completed more than once for any specific role or position. It can also be an extremely costly process that should be budgeted for and planned in detail. The alternative is simply to outsource the entire process bar step one, where you determine the role and type of employee you want to fill it.
