Why getting it wrong is not an option

It’s a bright sunny morning (and yes there have been a few), everything has been going according to plan, when suddenly a member of your team pops a letter on your desk and announces they are leaving. So suddenly the sunshine has just gone out of your morning and that little rain cloud is now focused over your head. You’ve got to recruit a new member of staff… ARGH.
If you feel that way about recruitment, then you’re not alone. If you get it right it can be a great feeling, but if you get it wrong, there are financial implications, (according to an article in Personnel Today, the hidden costs can be up to £5000) plus the impact on the team and the company can have far reaching effects.

So let’s start with the leaving employee, apart from the usual activities that occur when someone is leaving, organising the leaving do etc., you should do an exit interview. The purpose of an exit interview is to ensure there are no underlying problems you are not aware of that will a) cause a problem when you recruit a new member of the team, and b) ensure you do not end up in a tribunal three months after they have left. If during the exit interview you discover an issue that has led to this resignation, for example, bullying or harassment, then you need to ensure the individual is given the opportunity to raise a grievance. If they decide not to, you get them to sign the documentation stating they didn’t want to take the matter any further.

The next question is what do you want to do? Should you recruit like for like, or is this a good opportunity to have a reorganisation of work loads/responsibilities?

Which ever of the above two options you choose, the next stage is to write a job description and person specification. The job description is what needs to be done; the person specification is what type of person you want and what characteristics/qualifications are required.

At this point in time it might be useful to mention a few pointers in employment law. When writing your advertisement you must be aware of age, race and sex discrimination and how to avoid it – when in doubt, ask an expert!
Once you start to receive the applications, common courtesy is to acknowledge the application. Don’t forget that the recruitment process is two way – are you the kind of organisation they want to work for?

Using your person specification and job description you can now start to shortlist your interview selection – again write to those who have been unsuccessful.

The next stage is the interview. Using your person specification and job description prepare a matrix scoring system for each of the areas covered by identifying the skills/traits that are desirable and those that are essential. Then, prepare a set of questions that enables you to understand the candidates experience and ability to perform the tasks required.
However whether someone can do the job is one thing, but more importantly is ‘do they have the right attitude?’ At the end of the day, you may have a candidate that ticks all the boxes as far as being able to do the job is concerned, but do they have the right attitude? I am a firm believer in attitude first, skills second. You can always train someone with the right attitude, to have the right skills.

One of the biggest dangers when recruiting is our subconscious need to recruit someone who is like us. We make a decision whether we like someone within the first 30 seconds of meeting them, and then we ask questions to confirm our original thought. Therefore I would always suggest two people conduct the interview process, with both taking notes, which will help to provide a more balanced view.

Depending on the role and the company, you can narrow your choice further by selecting a few for a second interview. This is usually with the other team members or a senior member of the team. It can also take the form of some sort of assessment, again depending on the role you are recruiting for. So for example, if this role is a customer service position and they are dealing with customers on the telephone, a part of the interview needs to be conducted over the telephone. It’s amazing how voices can be different with a telephone.

So you are now ready to make your offer and hopefully this will be accepted. Don’t forget to inform your other candidates, and thank them for their interest in your company.

As a final note, you will need to keep the records of your interviews on file for at least three months, and the interview notes for your chosen candidate will need to be filed in their personnel file.

So you will now welcome your new employee to your company, but it doesn’t end there… read my next article on Induction, and how to avoid induction crisis.

For further information and support on interviewing and interview techniques, please contact Sue Kerr, MD of Inspirational HR on 07779 320693 or email her on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit the website www.inspirationalhr.co.uk