Chapter 9 - Recruitment

Your new business has almost everything in place now to start trading but you are considering recruiting some help. In this chapter we are going to look at recruiting & selecting the right person for the job. How you match the job with the right candidate. Its about finding a good match. Let me guide you through this tricky part of your new business.

Assess the Job

Firstly, you should assess the needs of your small business, do you have an idea as to what the job will involve in detail and what it does not involve? In order to recruit the right person for your business you need to have a clear understanding of the job. Drafting a job description is not difficult and the more detail it contains the more likely your recruited person will do a great job. But it doesn't have to be exhaustive. You can add a statement such as 'other duties as requested that are related to the business'.

Job Description

Start with writing a Job Purpose at the top of the Job Description that you are going to advertise - why does the job exist.

e.g. Provide support to the business in customer care and stock management. This should be no longer than a paragraph.

The next step and to be contained in the next paragraph is to make a detailed list of the tasks you need the job holder to do, i.e. Maintain stock on display shelving; provide assistance to customers; keep the shop area tidy and presentable at all times; take sales receipts using the till etc etc. This could be a lengthy list but once you have completed the list you can group related tasks together. You now have a fair understanding of the job you have. This is good progress to recruiting the right person for the job, you have one half of the match.

Personnel Specification

The next thing you need to do is to decide what skills and experience you are looking for, which are essential and which are desirable, and make another list of these. Consider qualifications and experience, for instance, do you need an experienced salesperson, or you need degree-level education or do you need someone you can mould and nurture? Consider all of your options on this as the more qualifications and experience you are requesting, the more likely it will be that you will need to pay a very competitive wage/salary.

Do not forget to add what personal attributes the ideal candidate must have such as approachability, professionalism, neat and tidy appearance; initiative etc. These skills are often overlooked and yet they are the ones every business needs in their staff. They make the difference between an adequate employee and an outstanding one.

Consider what other skills are appropriate, indeed necessary, for the job such as the ability to handle cash, or being able to create spreadsheets.

To determine a competitive salary or wage to offer, you should consider doing some research to find out the going rates for the type of job and the locality of the position. You need to be aware of minimum hourly rates if your job requires unskilled, low level or inexperienced workers. To make this attractive, you could provide information about room for growth within the role, such as training. Can your business sustain this cost? Make sure you do the sums before recruiting as shedding the job if it becomes unaffordable will be difficult for you.

You are now ready to recruit. You have a job description and a personnel specification, all you need to do now is to find someone who matches these requirements. Simple right? Not as easy as it might seem. But lets take a look at the process of what to do next.

Avoid Temptation to Shortcut the Recruitment Process

The next thing I should mention is to avoid nepotism, which is the practice among business owners of favouring relatives, friends, or associates, especially by giving them jobs.

In cases of nepotism, the small business rarely benefits as qualifications, skills and experience are overlooked. The small business often suffers from behaviour that is not of the standard required on the personnel specification. That is to say, there is rarely a good match between job and employee. Additionally, it denies others within the business opportunities to grow.

Advertise your Vacancy

There are several methods to advertise your vacancy, some are quite costly. Using your business's social media accounts is free and it will be effective in the locality of your business. You will need to include

• Job Title

• Job Description

• Personnel Specification

• Describe how a potential candidate can apply.

• Highlight your small business’s lifestyle and culture and

• Indicate to potential employees any growth prospects

• Add a closing date for applications.

• Ask for the names and contact details for references

Manage the responses

I would always recommend that you do not look at any responses until after the closing date and do so in a dedicated timeslot, where you can consider them all.

But before you start, create a tick box sheet with your requested criteria from the Personnel Specification. Doing this will help you to filter through the applications. You have already decided what you need, do not be distracted by a skill or experience that you haven't asked for.

Shortlisting

You should aim for at least four people that are shortlisted for the next stage, based upon the boxes they can tick. But no more than 10 people. If you have more than this, ie more than 10 people who tick all the boxes, that's the time you can look at what else they bring to the table. Park the un-shortlisted candidates for the time being until you have successfully recruited.

Once you have your shortlist, you need to do two things:-

1. Invite, in writing the shortlisted candidates for interview. Arrange the interviews in a quiet and private place with no distractions if you are able, and within a few days of each other

2. Contact the people named for references, stating that the candidate has been shortlisted and provide a job description and a personnel specification for them to use in their response.

Conducting Interviews

In preparing for the interviews, you should formulate a list of applicable questions based upon your job description and personnel specification. Use open question such as 'describe the experience you have in dealing with cash'. You can ask unscripted follow-up questions depending upon their answers.

Take notes throughout, or even better, get someone to take notes for you.

Decision Making

Continuing our theme of making informed (data-driven) decisions, some organisations use a point scoring method to select the right candidate. You can do this too, simply award a point every time they demonstrate at interview that they can tick off a criteria. Check the reference you have received for the candidate.

I hope your new employee is soon perceived to be an Ideal Employee for your new business. I have two blogs which specify how to be a Star Employee and how to be an Employer that everyone wants to work for. You might find them interesting.

Other Chapters in this series so far:-

Chapter 1   - A Business Idea - Lets Make it Happen

Chapter 2  - Target Your Market

Chapter 3   - Land Your Brand

Chapter 4   - The Price is Right

Chapter 5   - Lets Get Down to Business

Chapter 6   - Its All in the Name

Chapter 7   - Location Location Location

Chapter 8   - Financing your New Business

Chapter 9 - Matching Job and Employee

Chapter 10 - Law and Taxes: Play it Smart, Stay Sharp

Chapter 11 - Kick off Your Business with a Bang

Chapter 12 - Financial Review for your Small Business

Look out for the next chapter.

The Lead Coach is always available should you need any further help with your new business. Just fill in the contact form on my website www.theleadcoach.biz