How to Hire: A Guide to Recruit and Interview Effectively

A company's workforce is its most important asset. For small businesses to succeed and thrive in today's challenging market; they have to get their workforce right. That said, recruitment is the first step in establishing a stable workforce, so you need to take all the essential steps to make it right. Recruitment processes are expensive and time-consuming. Not only do you have to spend time and money in hiring and training candidates, but it also affects your existing workforce's morale if employees aren't being retained.

To help you walk through the process of recruitment the right way here's a step-by-step guide for you.

1. Understand your needs

While big corporations can afford to hire a number of employees, you, as a small business, can't do the same. You have to make the most out of your capital, including minimizing your expenses in human resources. Figure out how many employees will be sufficient for your needs. Then find out what kind of employee will be suitable for each role — full-time, part-time, or contract-based.

2. Do your research

Remember, there's a good chance your ideal employee isn't actively looking for a new job. They might be working in another organization at the given moment; you might have to find them and bring them over. For that, you'd have to look through the internet to find the talent you need. Search for relevant profiles on LinkedIn, other forms of social media, as well as asking with your network for recommendations— find people who may not be looking for a job but whose skillset meets your needs.

3. Create and post listings

Now's the time to create and post your job openings to different platforms. When you are writing your job description, there are few things that you must consider, including skills, salary, starting date, whether the role is full time or part-time, location ( for example, if it's remote or in-office), etc.

Start from your company's career page. Then, head towards social media and post your listing in relevant groups; remember, social media is a vast recruitment hub; you don't have to underestimate it.

Last but not least, join different job board platforms and post your listings there. If your requirements are aligned towards a contract-based worker, feel free to post the job on freelance websites like Upwork and Fiverr.

Talking about listings, make sure your job description is clear and has all the information you are looking for. Don't hesitate from investing a bit of money in creating a high-quality job description that represents your company culture.

4. Shortlist the candidates

If your job description is appealing and you've listed it correctly, you should receive a large number of applications in a short amount of time. However, it will often turn out to be a headache rather than a perk. It's a tedious task dealing with the overwhelming number of CVs.

This process is essential as you will need to take some time to go through the CVs and decide who would be the best fit for the role. Some of the things you will need to look for when choosing is their experience, ability to learn new skills, trustworthiness, qualifications and so on.

5. Conduct interviews

Interviewing is essentially the most crucial step of the recruitment process. It gives you a chance to connect with your potential employees at a personal level, determining whether they are a great, long-term fit for your organization.

You can conduct multiple phases of interviews to choose the best employee. Most of the time first interviews are done with the direct manager with another team member joining them. The second interview is done with HR (For most small companies) or the head of department. The second interview is only conducted if the first interview was a success. Team members are also involved in the hiring process normally.

6. Follow up and do background checks

Hr must conduct a series of checks to verify the status of individual applicants. Some checks are recommended, and others are legally required to be done. Some assessments may require the applicant's prior consent to comply with the data protection regulations. Hr Managers are responsible for staying up to date with local requirements and processes. There are few types of employment screening checks;

• Identity check
• Right to work
• Criminal record check
• An employment reference check
• Social media screening
• Driving record checks
• Credit check

7.  Hire the best candidate

At this point, you've essentially learned everything you need to know about all the candidates you have considered. When you have chosen your candidate/s and everything else is done, now you can make your offer to them. This stage of the hiring process is still the negotiation part and you still have got few more steps.

Just make sure to enlist your budget before making the offer. You don't want to offer a salary that overwhelms your small business's budget. However, that doesn't mean you should provide a measly salary package; never undermine the work value of the person you're Hiring.

You must decide as soon as you can and avoid taking forever in determining who you have accepted and who you haven't. The reason for this is that; although you have not taken some of the other candidates that didn't make it, you will need to inform them in a timely and professional manner. Some companies even take it to call the unsuccessful candidate and give them feedback over the phone. This simple act can make your company stand out from the rest.

Conducting effective interviews

Inform the candidates early

You must inform the interviewees about the interview well before the day. This gives them the time to prepare for the occasion, letting you analyze them at their best.

Set the tone

Your behaviour can set the tone for your interviewees. If you be too casual, they may not take you seriously. If you be too strict, they may get nervous and uncomfortable. Find the right balance and showcase it in your conversation.

Understand it's a two-way process

Remember, you're not the only one who's choosing something here. If the interviewee is a skilled individual, they'd be actively analyzing your words to determine if your company is a good fit for them. Give them a chance to ask questions and when they do, answer them politely and professionally.

Ask unique questions

Anyone can answer age-old questions like, "Why should we hire you?". It's time you come up with tailored questions that differentiate candidates for your specific needs.

Don't discriminate

Modern organizations don't discriminate against employees based on their gender, caste, religion, and other discriminable factors. Make sure you're not biased towards anything before stepping into the interview room.

Final thoughts

Recruitment is your first baby step towards a solid workforce — you have to do it right. This the article comprehensively educates you about the ins and outs of recruitment for small Businesses.

Follow the steps mentioned above during your next hire, and I believe you'll end up with an the ideal candidate who adds value to your company.