The Challenge

Everyone in business is dealing with the ongoing challenge of recruiting staff with Australia close to full employment. We are currently in an economy that has arguably full employment, low inflation, still modest interest rates (certainly historically), a resources boom, bullish stock market and record property values. It's a seller's market and candidates know their bargaining power and are exercising it.

So what can you do to give yourself a better chance to recruit talented staff? Have your business ready to recruit. It is imperative that you detail your business' recruitment process. How many interviews will you have with each prospective candidate? Where will you hold interviews? What are your interview questions? Who will attend? How long do interviews run for? Who will conduct reference checking? What needs to happen to reach a hiring decision? What are the steps you take to communicate with candidates you wish to offer a position? How do you deal with unsuccessful candidates? Be prepared for hard searching questions from candidates and deal with them constructively. Your recruitment process is critical to creating an objective systemised process for recruiting staff and no doubt influences a candidate’s decision to join you.

Document a personnel system. A personnel system typically includes a documented personnel diagram, job descriptions, standard employment agreements, standard letters/emails, induction checklist and employment policies.

Pay market salaries or higher. You simply aren't in the game if you don't do your homework in understanding market salary levels for each position. Put yourself in a candidates shoes and ask yourself why they would accept a position with you from a number of current offers when your salary is the lowest.

Have a clear appraisal and review process. Draft a clear and concise appraisal and review process. Detail how staff will be assessed on performance, how often and in what format. Articulate this confidently and clearly throughout the recruitment process. Be disciplined in diarising these review dates and schedule sessions with each staff member periodically. Fail to do this and you will only find out staff problems when they resign. It's then too late.

Have a clear vision for the business and share this passionately with potential recruits. From conducting hundreds of interviews I'm yet to find a potential recruit who isn't interested in hearing about the vision and opportunities for the business and its people. Beyond the money, that's what they are buying in to. If you don't do this, other job offers candidates receive will leave you competitively disadvantaged.

Have a policy that you are always recruiting. Great businesses are always on the look out for talent. When a great candidate presents, be prepared to consider hiring now for the future. If you are too passive or conservative, the ideal scenario of attracting exactly the right candidate at exactly the right time may never present itself.

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