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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:
Before you jump in, fully consider the role that is needed. If this
is a new post, create a job description 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 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 There are a variety of ways in which you may do this:
When advertising, remember to:
Make a shortlist Ideally get applicants to complete an application form 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 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:
Select your candidate. Be objective and unbiased. Choose
the person who best fits your person specification 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 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 For your successful candidate:
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: 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
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. |