Being an employer can be very challenging, however much of the stress comes down to who you hire. If you keep hiring workers that don’t show up or quit early or cause conflict or are simply not very good at their job, it could be time to start reassessing your recruitment strategy. Below are just a few tips that could help you to start hiring the right candidates.
Carry out background checks
Background checks are essential for making sure an employee’s past matches up with their resume. One of the easiest background checks you can carry out is to check their online presence. Does their job history match up on LinkedIn? Are there any alarming news stories about them? What kind of content do they post on social media? Other background checks like criminal background checks and employer references can also be valuable.
Do an aptitude test
Some candidates can blag any interview and make you think they are an expert in their field. However, aptitude assessments are the best way to find out whether they walk the walk and not just talk the talk. These can take the form of online tests available using software that you can customize. Practical skills may need to be tested in a practical environment via a trial shift.
Consider cultural fit
It’s important that candidates fit into the culture of your workplace. Some personalities may not gel well with your team and you can consider a personality test to assess this – or you can simply get them to meet your team during the interview and see how they get on.
Make job ads attractive
The most qualified and model employees often know that they are good, and they can afford to be choosy when jobhunting. If your job advertisement isn’t attractive enough, they’ll simply ignore it. Aggressively worded job ads that advertise no perks may even end up scaring away 80% of target applicants, resulting in only desperate jobseekers applying. Make sure that your job ad is attractive by delving into the unique benefits of the job, using an enthusiastic tone and not being too strict with your requirements.
Advertise far and wide
Casting your net wide allows you to get more applicants and increases your chance of finding the perfect employee. If you’re only displaying ads on one job board for a couple days, you could be severely restricting your pool of applicants. When possible, advertise jobs several weeks in advance and advertise through multiple platforms – online and offline – to attract as many applicants as possible.
Headhunt employees
You don’t have to wait for employees to come to you. Headhunting involves searching for potential ideal employees yourself using sites like LinkedIn or by monitoring rival companies. If you’re able to offer more pay and greater perks, you may be able to encourage employees from other companies to leave and join your company.
Know when to hire internally
Hiring someone for a senior position. Don’t forget to consider your existing team. If you already have a long-term employee who you greatly trust, consider whether they would be the perfect choice for the role. Nurturing your best employees is key to success – you don’t want to lose your good employees, because you were focusing too much on your bad employees.
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