It is vital that small businesses secure a good hire, spurring on faster growth and more efficient levels of productivity. Still, it’s getting more difficult to find the right candidate, and there are many factors influencing that final decision. Still, while it can be easy to believe that every bad hire is the employees’ fault, the truth is, a poor candidate shouldn’t even make it as far as the interview stage, let alone be put on the payroll.
Consequently, here are some of the best hiring practices you can carry out as a small business.
Concise Job Description
In the way that you may like to receive a concise and well-presented CV, the same should be true of a job description. It might seem like a tough pill to swallow, but any candidates coming your way for consideration are also applying for other roles across different employers. The last thing they need is a multi-page, overly descriptive job advertisement that is more boastful than effective.
Use bullet points and clear headings, acutely detailing the responsibilities of the role and the qualifications required. The easier your job description is to understand, the easier it will be for you and your interviewees to ask questions of one another and determine a good fit. Sometimes playing it safe is the best way to guarantee a good result. An easy to understand advert makes the whole hiring process easier for everyone from start to finish, so try to start here.
The Right Time and Place
The better workers will be gunning for a job already, putting themselves out there for the chance of a good fit. Moreover, they won’t come directly to you if they don’t know who you are or how to find you, especially if you’re a small business that’s not quite well known yet. Therefore, to broaden your chances of securing a good hire, you need to meet potential candidates half way.
Build up a presence on job search sites, and the right hire will find you eventually. Upload your job description on there, because candidates well then find you in their own time; specifically, when they’re in ‘job hunting’ mode too rather than reading a sign in a shop window during their weekly run for bread and milk. These kinds of search engines can funnel out the random time wasters and put you in touch with those who are eager to work.
Emphasise Culture
There are many workers out there with great potential, but when operating in a certain culture they’ll either thrive or fall apart. An introvert might not do so well in a chatty, friendly office, and an extrovert’s bubbly persona might not quite gel in a quieter, more formal office. Personality is a big part of the working world, and you need to gauge how a candidate conducts themselves early on.
Therefore, you should always describe and emphasise the importance of the company culture during the hiring process. This can be done either in the job description, the interview stage, or both. Some potential hires may try to adopt a fake personality to bag a job, so make sure you can get an honest answer about the kinds of people they are and want to be around.
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