What's the best way to recruit?

Recruitment is one of the most important things that you will do in a Company and it can have an enormous effect on the harmonious running of your organisation.

Get it right by bringing in an excellent candidate, then you’re a hero.?Get it wrong by upsetting the apple cart, you’re a zero!

I really enjoy recruitment and there are a few tips that have always worked well to make sure that I can get the right candidate for the roles that I advertise.

1)?????Prepare the candidates for the interview

I find that this works well as it helps any candidates that may struggle with nerves or anxiety.?If you explain simply but precisely what you are looking for, then it makes for a much better interview.?People are prepared and are then able to give a better account of themselves.

By taking away the stress and fear of the unknown, you are more likely to see a candidate how they really are, rather than a candidate whose communication skills can be affected by the stakes of the meeting.

All types of people who come to interview can benefit from this approach. I have found that people at the beginning of their career journey can benefit from this a lot as their experience of the process is often more limited and giving some structure takes away the stress.

But it should be noted that I have met people interviewing for a first job that have been superb under pressure and people who have a great deal of experience who have crumbled, so it is not a hard and fast rule!

What I really don’t want is to miss somebody who could be amazing for the role that I am advertising, but doesn’t get considered as they just don’t perform due to nerves/ anxiety.

2)?????Recruit for attitude rather than skills

This can be a little controversial and depends on the role that you are recruiting for.?If you are recruiting for a very technical role and need a very specialist skill-set then you would ignore this piece of advice!

However, a good attitude is far harder to learn than skills which you can pick up on the job.

A person with a good attitude is a greater asset to your team than a person who has great skills but a poor attitude and lax work ethic.

There are an awful lot of people out there who have great potential and attitudes, but often miss out on roles as they cannot find the person who is willing to give them a chance.?

I have always believed in giving the right people a chance and my current role in Xcel Health is no different.

If the answers to the below questions are positive then this is a person that I would consider

·????????Do I like you?

·????????Can I work with you?

·????????Would you fit into my team?

3)?????Trust your gut

When you are in an interview, it is quite frequent to be bamboozled or impressed by a candidate’s credentials and experience.

But, your decision should be easy.?If you are not sure, then it is probably not the right person.?You need to give the candidate the opportunity to impress you, but if this doesn’t happen, then trust your instincts.

Like everybody who has ever done recruitment, I have made mistakes in the people I have recruited for various reasons.?However, there is only one occasion that I went against my gut feeling and it turned out to be a terrible decision!

4)?????Be clear in your own mind what you are looking for

You have to be clear in your own mind what your own expectations are.?If you don’t know, then how would you be able to know if a candidate is good or not?

I often list the qualities or attributes of my ideal candidate for the role and when I am in the interview, I keep these in mind.

When an organisation is not sure what they do or don’t want then they don’t make good decisions and during my career, I have often seen this when interviewing with Department Heads.

5)?????Let the candidate talk

It’s as simple as that!

You need to give them the opportunity to say the things that they want to say and you have to try to guide them to say them in the best way that you can.

Human psychology says that the more you talk in a situation, the happier you are with the conversation.?If you have talked a lot, then you may have a skewed view of the interview and think that it was better than it actually was.

6)?????Make them like the company and like you

We often forget that an interview is a 2-way process.?Both parties have an equal stake in the process.?Remember that just because a person is interviewing for a role, it doesn’t mean they are desperate to join you!

I have been in interviews where I have been offered the job and declined as I did not feel that the organisation or department was one that fit what I was looking for.

If you make a good impression on a candidate, they are much more likely to select you if they are successful.?If you haven’t built a rapport, then they will not feel as good about you as you do about them.?And that would be a shame!

7)?????Be nice

You can ask hard questions and be demanding without being unpleasant.?A good atmosphere in an interview always brings out a better result.

Sometimes, a candidate just needs a moment to recompose themselves or regroup.?They may have a dry throat or need a short break.?Just because they are silent it doesn’t mean that they don’t know.?

At the outset of any interview, I will tell a candidate that they should take the time that they need to give an answer.?And that they should indicate if they need to take a minute.

Better that they give a good, well-considered answer than blurt out the first thing that comes into their head!

8)?????Have a friend in the room with you

You’ll get a different point of view and it will be somebody who can ask different questions from the ones you would ask.?It gives you the opportunity to observe more, especially if you don’t have to take all the notes and do all of the talking.

A critical friend can also point out things after the interview that you may not have picked up, so you can have a much more balanced opinion of the whole process.

One thing to bear in mind is to brief/ be briefed before the interview so that everybody is looking for the same things in the candidates that you are meeting.?Also, if you assign roles (who will ask which questions/ cover certain sections) then it makes everything go so much more smoothly!

9)?????Give lots of feedback

Generally, the feedback given to a candidate is that they have or haven’t been successful and no more.

Giving feedback is the sign of an organisation that cares about the people that work there and wants them to do well.?By investing the time in unsuccessful candidates to help them do better the next time, you build a really positive image of your company.

Good candidates will learn from the feedback that you give and will invariably give a better interview the next time around.?They will recommend other people to your organisation.

You might even find that they apply for other roles within your organisation and are successful.

During my time in the different Banks, there have been a number of times where I have met a candidate that I declined to find that they did really well in an interview with another department.

You just never know!

Recruitment is not an exact science and there are many different ways and strategies that people take to recruit people.?These are the ones that have worked for me and are the ones that I will continue to employ when recruiting.

Sometimes, the candidate that you least expect is the one that surprises you most! ??