Effective recruiting is essential to the success of any business.
The right team can make a good business great and a great business exceptional. On the flip side, unpleasant or dissatisfied staff and a toxic workplace culture can derail even the best businesses.
So what are the most effective strategies when it comes to recruiting a great team?
- Whenever possible, hire in-house
Before looking externally, consider promoting current staff. If there’s someone suitable, this saves time and money.
Hiring internally is also an easy way to boost team morale. There‘s nothing like a promotion to let an employee know you value them. But the good vibes don’t end there. Other staff appreciate seeing someone rewarded for a job well done.
- Introduce a generous employee referral program
Employee referral programs are an excellent way to find good people.
When an employee puts someone forward, they’re vouching for them as both competent and a good fit for the team. Staff have a strong interest in referring people they believe will succeed. They’re unlikely to refer anyone they’re not absolutely sure about.
If a successful hire eventuates, the employee who referred them should be well rewarded. Again, this shows their contribution is valued, a good thing for team building generally.
- Involve current staff in the hiring process
When you’re hiring through a traditional recruitment process, current staff should be involved. Especially those who may end up working with candidates.
The benefits of involving staff are obvious. Those taking part appreciate being asked their opinion. They’re also in a position to offer useful insights. At the end of the day, people favour candidates they want to work with most. This, in turn, promotes team cohesion.
Otherwise, you should always introduce starters to their new colleagues as soon as possible. This shows respect to both the new starter and existing employees. Be mindful of the fact that an addition to any team can be perceived as a threat. Carefully explain the new starter’s role, making clear it doesn’t encroach on anyone’s job.
- Write thoughtful job ads that reflect your organisation’s culture
Too many job ads are terribly written. Full of managerial speak and lists of boring tasks, they rarely inspire enthusiasm. Try to make yours different.
Don’t cut and paste pro-forma job descriptions you find online. These can be useful, but customise them. Properly tailoring your ad will ensure you appeal to the right people and attract more considered applications.
Use natural sounding language and keep it brief.
Include a description of your organisation’s values and what it expects from staff. You’re aiming to attract people who will fit in culturally, as well as those with suitable qualifications.
- Offer a competitive salary
As the old saying goes, ‘pay peanuts and you’ll get monkeys’.
The package you’re offering must be competitive. Pay above market if you’re aiming to attract the cream of the crop.
- Review the social media profiles of favoured candidates
While still essential, this is becoming a less effective way of vetting applicants. Most have now learnt to adjust their privacy settings.
For those still going public - and perhaps this says something about their judgement – get to know their online persona as well the one they bring to interviews. Don’t limit yourself to LinkedIn. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram usually offer a more honest account.
You never know what you’ll find. Occasionally it will be a dealbreaker.
- Always do reference checks
In case you need reminding, never hire someone without thoroughly checking their references.