Recruitment – Getting it wrong can cost you a fortune

Of course with the creation of new jobs comes the issue of recruitment. It is vital for a business of any size that the recruitment process is not only followed correctly but is also done well. By failing to follow the correct process of recruitment, you may damage the reputation of your company, or select a candidate who is ultimately unsuitable. In both instances this could prove detrimental to your business.

Following the process correctly should hopefully mean that not only do you maintain the reputation of your company but that invariably the most suitable candidate is selected. With recent changes to fairness and equality legislation, business owners are now, even more so than before, responsible for ensuring that candidates do not face discrimination of any sort during the recruitment and selection process.

Selecting the wrong person, through a botched selection process, could cause numerous problems. According to HR Review ‘the cost implications of recruiting the wrong person are extremely high: recruiting costs a company approximately 25% in basic annual salary of the employee, plus the cost of time spent interviewing the candidate and then the cost of making them redundant’. Furthermore increased labour turnover can affect the attitudes of the workforce. Recruiting a person that is unsuitable could create a less than harmonious atmosphere within a workplace and, apart from being a potential disciplinary statistic, employers often find that unsuitable workers become disgruntled, less efficient and usually leave after a short period of time. This of course means the recruitment process must start once again, costing the business even more than they initially predicted, and even more if the person in question does not leave voluntarily.

Job recruitment of course can be smooth and easy, and if done in the right way your business may see no end of benefits; selecting the correct person will ultimately enhance a business. Turnstone HR recommends a few easy steps for business owners to follow during recruitment:

•Define your person specification. Make sure it is very clear, and outlines all of your specific needs. It is important that before you start you know exactly what your needs are.

•Following on from your person specification, advertise the position in a way that attracts appropriate candidates.

•Structure a successful recruitment process that picks out such needs.

•It is important that you are consistent with your recruitment process in order to differentiate between the candidates.

•Get more than one person involved, other people’s opinions on candidates often prove helpful.

•Use several processes during recruitment to determine whether candidates are successful. For example; if the position is a practical one, an interview may not determine the best person for the job whereas a practical task may.

•Avoid both favouritism and discrimination throughout the process.

•Sit down and discuss how well the person has done/scored.

A successful recruitment process should be beneficial to business owners and their company.   Source: turnsonehr.com