Are you looking to create a scalable business? Do you struggle with making sure that you have the right people in your team at the right time? How would it feel to have experienced resources available at the right time, to help your business grow and thrive?
We talk to many business owners who have been burnt having dabbled in recruiting. And believe it or not some have had this experience more than once. It can be such a lengthy process, costing both time and effort. Then when it does not work, we totally understand why you would be put off for life.
Here are some of the issues we have faced, have you faced them too?
- Issue 1 – One of the most common issues is not knowing what you need the person to do. You are probably thinking “seriously” though it happens lots
- For small businesses, the best way to understand this is to map out your operational processes. Once complete you will be able to identify what needs to be done which will form a job description
- Issue 2 – People sometimes cannot walk the walk, this happened to me in the early days. Being eager to please candidates will tell you they have lots of experience. It may be with software/systems or how they dealt with specific scenarios
- Once you have a job description, you will need to create specific competency-based questions. Get them to show you what they can do on relevant software packages/systems
- Issue 3 – Someone who does not fit the culture. You may find the most talented person though do they fit well within the business? Do they align to your values?
- You will need to observe candidates review qualities like communication. I have found also that candidates come across differently in person to over the phone. One maybe to consider. In addition create some values based questions to get a sense of culture fit
Why recruitment can be challenging?
Small businesses have more specific needs than bigger ones, and hiring the right employees is as crucial as overall business success.
They face several challenges related to inexperience, size, and lack of resources. However, few responsibilities stretch these businesses as thin as hiring. While it may seem simple on the surface, hiring the right employees can be overwhelming on many different levels.
When you consider that 52% of small businesses plan to hire at least one employee this year, something needs to be done sooner rather than later.
It’s important for us to set you up for success, so we have pulled together some useful tips:
- Develop your company culture – be clear about your company’s brand and make sure yours is an ‘employer of choice’.
- Creating a job description – be clear, accurate and very focused on what you want – but also on what you are going to offer.
- Think about where to advertise your role – consider the types of people who will want to apply and where will you find these types of people.
- Design your interview process – making it as robust as possible to ensure that you get the right person for the role.
- Make sure you have a contract – invest in a good contract to set the frame at the outset, being really clear about the ground rules and probationary periods.
- Making an offer and beyond – make sure that when you make the offer that all your documents are signed before you commence work/training.
For more information take a look at our full guide: Access to Experienced Resources.
Why failed recruitment can be detrimental.
Businesses rely on their employees to be successful. Hiring the right people is imperative, and there are many repercussions when recruiting and selection systems fail. More than just losing money from lack of productivity, hiring the wrong people negatively affects many aspects of daily business and productivity. There are many ways that bad hiring decisions can hurt your company, here are the main ones:
- Turnover
When the wrong person for the position is hired, it typically results in having to refill the position again. Time, money, and energy are lost during this downtime, as well as additional recruiting and training costs. - Money
It’s an expensive error to make for any buiness. Costs may include job posting fees, training fees, and paying the “wrong” employee’s salary before employment officially ends. Depending on the role, the company may lose revenue for sales not made or clients lost. - Morale
A wrong hire due to an ineffective recruitment and selection process can hurt the morale and productivity of good employees. If it was a lower-level employee, then fellow workers having to take up that person’s slack may feel overworked and underappreciated. - Confidence
Good employees may lose confidence in their management team. Owners may lose confidence in their own abilities if they cannot train or motivate the bad hire. In addition, they must wrestle with terminating the employee and dealing with feelings of guilt and stress.
Smarter hiring for better business
It’s easy for small-business owners to get so caught up in running the daily business operations and closing sales that they forget about the significance of implementing smart hiring practices.
If you want to build a successful business that thrives on the backs of talented and disciplined people, then you better evaluate where things currently stand and how you can make deficiencies into strengths.
For some business owners, recruitment is not where they want to spend their time if they have time to spend! That is where an experienced outsourcing partner can step in and help.
We pride ourselves at Wendy Johnstone Ltd in providing professional resources at the right time, providing different skills to be able to adapt as your business grows. We facilitate business growth by knowing what works. Our team has built a learning organisation that provides flexible resource and skills at the right time.
We partner with our clients and take the headache of recruitment away so that they can focus on the business strategy, the benefits being:
- Cost advantages
- Increased efficiency
- Time to focus on business strategy
- Access to skilled professional resources
- Faster and better service for clients
Whatever your decision, its important it is the right one for you and your buiness. Its important that you get this right, so we hope you find these tips useful.
Do you need help while you are looking for the right people?
It’s important that you recruit the right people into your business, but this can take time.
While you’re in the process of recruiting, outsourcing could be the option you need to ensure that you continue to grow.