Getting this wrong can be a very expensive mistake...
The recruitment and selection decision is of prime importance as the vehicle for obtaining the best possible person-to-job fit which will, when aggregated, contribute significantly towards your Company's success.
According to ACAS:
Recruiting people who are wrong for the organisation can lead to increased labour turnover, increased costs for the organisation, and lowering of morale in the existing workforce. Such people are likely to be discontented, unlikely to give of their best, and end up leaving voluntarily or involuntarily when their unsuitability becomes evident.
Where do I start?
Stop and think - what do I need a my new employee to do. Describe the job by writing it down - is there enough constructive work - what tasks will they be responsible for and how many hours per week will it take? It is often better to start with a part-time employee and review it after a few months. You could even think about a casual arrangement or a zero-hours contract to start with where you only call in the employee when you need them.
Describe the ideal person for the job - what skills, qualifications and experience would they need? Be practical here - remember the more experience or higher qualifications you ask for the more you are likely to need to pay to secure such a person.
Decide whether your business can afford it? - Remember you will need to provide at least the minimum wage, 5.6 weeks paid holiday entitlement per year and possibly a workplace pension scheme to which you will need to make a contribution.
Combine the above job and person specifications and the terms you will offer into a job description. There is a simple template below which you can download and use.
I now have a job description and I'm sure I need to recruit - what now?
Think about where you might find the ideal recruit. This might be as simple as asking someone you know who would be suitable if they are interested. How about recent school leavers or the local university careers office? Failing that you may need to advertise - this could be on local notice boards e.g. in supermarkets or the local press initially. You could also register with the Government 'Find a Job' service. There are also numerous online recruitment services such as Monster Recruitment or Reed in the UK which will give you advertising exposure on their recruitment sites for 30 days or even longer for around £200.
Once you have sufficient applications you should shortlist using the person specification you drew up earlier and then interview the candidates.
I have found the right person and offered them the job - anything else to do now?
Yes - you will need to sort out all the necessary administration: check they are entitled to work in the UK, do they need a Disclosure and Barring check, organise your Employers Liability Insurance if you don't have it, and register as a new employer with the HMRC if this is your first employee and take up their references. If appropriate you might have to arrange a suitable Pension Scheme.
You also need to write to them making a formal offer of the job (Letter of Appointment) making it conditional on a satisfactory outcome to any of the checks outlined above. You also need to send them a full statement of their terms and conditions within 8 weeks of them starting with you. There are free templates for both of these on our Contract of Employment page.
Now just make sure everything is ready for the new employee when they start e.g. a desk, computer etc. and it is also a good idea to plan an induction programme for them to get them up to speed with their new job as quickly as possible. More detail on the above in this article:
See below for a number of recruitment policies, tools and links to help you get the recruitment and selection decision right.