Recruit Right – 7 Steps to Attracting Your Unicorn

Define the Gap

When positions become vacant, it is often habit to replace the existing body, with a fresh one. In many scenarios, this is exactly what’s needed, but before doing so, it’s always a good time to have an internal organisation ‘health check’ to look at how everyone is performing together. Questions to ask yourself should include;

• What are the types of skills I require to grow my business?
• Can any of my existing team fulfil the requirement with training and development?
• Are there any new systems of procedures I could implement to fulfil the gap?
• Do I want to continue working the way I am? If I step back, what would that look like in the organisation?
• What’s my budget?
• Could I outsource?

Drafting the Position Description and Job Advertisement

These two documents go hand in hand and once you have a clear understanding of what or who your organisation needs, putting them together will be simple. Download our free position description template by following this link.

As for the Job Advertisement, this will require a little more verbiage, specifically around the Company values, the location, expected hours of work, more about what the opportunity means and, in some cases, the salary package. The trick is still to keep it clear but also without prejudice.

Make the Ad Live

There are many platforms and avenues to use when listing a job. The one you choose will depend on your audience, location and your internal capabilities. For example, small communities will often hear of a job vacancy through word of mouth, so popping up a notice in a store front window is likely going to get more traction than an ad online.

If advertising using the internet, then social media is also a significant tool. Sunny Coast Jobs aims to promote positions for local businesses and local people, or people wishing to move to the area. So being part of our network is in your best interest to stay up to date with available vacancies and qualifying candidates.

Screening

Screening can be such a laborious task, especially if the job advertisement isn’t clear enough and you have every man and his dog applying. In many cases, it’s best to leave it to professionals who are well equipped with this skillset and can know in a matter of minutes whether a candidate is suitable. If you’re completing this task yourself though, be sure to refer to your original position description to help guide you.

Once you’ve narrowed down your pool, feel free to give these people a call. Let them know you’re conducting a phone screen, but be careful not to transfer into full interview mode, or ask questions you shouldn’t, check out our post You Can’t Ask That. A good thing to confirm when initially calling would be the hours of work. Even though they should be included in the job advertisement, it’s always good to check this. Applicants may express a strong desire for the role, but if it means they’re required to work every weekend, they may think twice. Wasting time is something you want to avoid from the start.

Interviewing and Compliance Checks

Good work! You’ve found some strong applicants who have screened well and now is the time to meet them. Make sure when scheduling your interviews, you have the following;

• Time – This is important and shouldn’t be overlooked. Too often, an interview is conducted on site with the interviewers attention shared with what is happening around them. If you’re not able to focus on the individual in front of you, how will you be able to make an informed decision at the end of it all? It’s also not a great look for an interviewee to turn up and find their potential future boss can’t delegate long enough to hold a conversation.
• The Location – Conducting interviews on site is great as it demonstrates firsthand what the workplace is about. As mentioned, the distraction could be everything else going on, so be mindful of this. Sit in a quieter area if possible or not in the way of foot traffic. If that’s not possible, pick another location, somewhere that is comfortable and easy for people to find.
• Questions – Be clear about what you want to know. We have a template you can download here, but be sure to also include your own questions. Example scenarios are a great way to determine the thought process of an individual and if the logic applies to your workplace.
• Your Closing Statement – Thanking the interviewee and letting them know when you will be in touch is important. It demonstrates professionalism but also doesn’t leave them hanging. Whilst this process is mainly about them, you too are being interviewed. You may have found what you believe to be your unicorn, but an ignorant attitude can turn a lot of good candidates away, so make sure you too are creating the right impression.

Once the interviews are complete, ensure that you carry out a reference check as you may discover something that won’t work in your business. You also need to ensure that any required qualifications or licenses to do the job are still valid, so don’t be afraid to ask for copies.

On Boarding

Hooray! You have your unicorn and we couldn’t be happier!  But before they begin, you will need to have your administration organised;

• Employment contract – ESSENTIAL!!! For any type of employment, making clear your terms and conditions of employment sets the expectation and requirements from day dot.
• Site Induction – Run through safety procedures, such as evacuation procedures, what to do in the event of an emergency etc., point out where to find important tools and resources relevant to the role, who are the Managers and Supervisors etc.
• Training Records – Demonstration of how to complete tasks is necessary to avoid accidents and injuries in the workplace. It is best practice that once the employee has been shown and is competent, a record is kept to confirm what has been completed. Further training is likely to be needed as they learn all aspects of the role, so be sure to invest the time in the beginning.

Review

Whoohoo! You followed the steps and your new employee is going great! Now though isn’t the time to forget about them and move onto the next. Taking some time to check in on your new starter is invaluable. It gives you both an opportunity to look at what is going good and if there are any areas for improvement. The timeframe you select for review will be dependant on your workplace and you can even have more than one. The purpose is to ensure that the employment arrangement is working for you both. Too many times the relationship between employer and employee is working against them and that’s when the cracks start to show.