Take a strategic stance on searching for staff

Despite the number of people looking for work, finding good people is not easy. There are a number of steps to be taken when recruiting.

Due diligence
It is important to select the right person, someone who suits the business. That means asking hard strategic questions from the outset. It’s just as easy to make a wrong decision as it is to make a right one. A due diligence process means checking every part of the potential recruit’s background and asking the right questions in the interview to match the job being offered. There’s one golden rule: past performance points to future performance. Companies need to ask the right questions. These questions shed light on past performance as an indicator of future trends.

For example, if you’re looking for a salesman working in a high-risk environment, you need to ask about how he works to a deadline. When was the last time he or she did it? What did they do to meet it? Was the risk worthwhile?

Unless the business is just looking for someone who can fill in for the next six months, the employer needs to look at someone who can fit into the business in two to four years’ time.

Where to look
There are four different markets. First, there are jobs boards such as Seek, MyCareer, and CareerOne. Newspapers also have classifieds, although fewer job seekers are turning to that.

Then there are networks of contacts and colleagues. These can include everything from local chambers of commerce to guilds and associations.

Alternatively, there are social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. LinkedIn is a network of experienced professionals from around the world, claiming to cover 170 industries and 200 countries. On LinkedIn, companies can pay $US195 ($217) to post a job for 30 days. Or they can buy job credits and pay less per job posting. They can also sign up for LinkedIn Talent Advantage, which is used by recruiters. If they don’t have the money to pay for job postings or join the Talent Advantage, they can still find free resources on LinkedIn.

A third and increasingly popular option is staff referrals. Employees usually have their ears to the ground. Also, it is easier to integrate the person into the organisation when they have been nominated by staff. The other advantage of staff referrals is that employees know what’s required and know all about the working environment. They are best placed to know whether the person they are recommending will fit in. They will look after that person and help them adjust.

The final, most difficult but potentially most rewarding market is head-hunting to poach from competitors. There are two advantages with this approach. The first is you get someone who would be great for the organisation. Secondly, it places competitors at a disadvantage. But it means paying extra. With sales people and operational people, the question needs to be asked whether the new recruit will be worth their salary many times over.

Rewarding and grooming is another key issue and needs to be handled with finesse. There are two ways of grooming and rewarding star recruits: money and career opportunities. High-flying recruits tend to be more self-motivated, meaning the employer needs to keep them motivated via stimulating career opportunities. Good sales people are likely to be motivated by money, earning potential and the chance to develop larger accounts and career progression. This will be their key motivation.

Leon Gettler is a senior business journalist who writes for a range of leading newspapers and journals.

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