Business Franchise Australia

5 Steps to Recruiting the Right Staff for Your Start-Up

In a digital age, it’s hard to know where to begin when it comes to employing the right staff to help your start-up grow. From social media to referrals to recruitment agencies, the list goes on and on.

 

If you’re new on the business scene, it’s likely you have few (if any) existing employees, let alone a Hiring Manager or HR team. In this case, it’s solely up to you to ultimately determine the entire hiring process, right down to selecting the winning candidate.

 

In some cases, as a sole trader or small business owner, there may be times when you need to upskill in order to keep up with business demand. You could pursue an online certificate in project management for example, in a virtual capacity at the same time as running your business – depending on your schedule.

 

Naturally, expanding your skill set as a business owner while simultaneously overseeing its operation is no easy feat. Perhaps it’s the reason you sought to recruit more staff to begin with. So, what exactly is the best way to acquire hardworking, trustworthy and reliable teammates?      

 

 

Step One: Establish (and perfect your) hiring process

 It’s more than likely as a small business you might be under-resourced at present. Fear not, this is why you’re here. Also, this is no reason to wing the recruitment or hiring process. The more you lay out an established recruitment plan (including a timeline), the better off you’ll be at setting yourself up for success in finding a suitable candidate.

 

All of this is no doubt far easier said than done. So what are the best tips in order to perfect your hiring process and get the right staff onboard? What will allow you to draw in the most suitable candidates and weed out the inappropriate ones?

 

 

 Step Two: Consistently build on your brand

A 2016 Glassdoor survey found that 69% of job seekers are likely to apply for a job if the employer plays an active role in managing its brand. This includes simple, diligent tasks like responding to reviews, updating the company’s profile and sharing updates across social media platforms. Ensure you are consistently working on your brand and its image in order to stay relevant to potential employees.

 

Rather than focusing on set roles that most companies employ – i.e. having a marketing, accounts and HR person, identify skill gaps in your existing team and find a candidate that fits the skill tags. This will help add to your overall team dynamic.

 

Be transparent at all times – and in your job description

Communication is the most important contributing factor of any relationship – this includes professional working relationships. When a potential candidate reads your job description, this may often be their first impression of the company. Disclose all that you require in the role but also remember you are also pitching your company to potential employees. What can they gain from working with your company?

 

A 2019 survey found that 80% of people who quit their jobs did so due to the working environment. The same survey also found that 77% of respondents cited a lack of career progression as a contributing factor to their decision to leave. Bear this data in mind before advertising for the position. How would you describe the culture at your company? Are there potential opportunities for growth and career progression?

 

 

Step Three: Improve your interview

There are a number of different ways to level up your interview techniques. You want to stand out from the crowd in order to create a memorable interview. There’s nothing worse than your stock standard interview where the candidate is completely grilled on their skills and qualifications. This should be a two-way conversation. Put some warmth into it and pay attention to small details like body language and tone.

 

 

Step Four: Treat candidates like clients

By choosing to apply, potential candidates are investing their time and energy into your company likely because they see its potential. It’s also likely that they can relate to your cause. Considering this, even if candidates are unsuccessful, one should always endeavour to provide a pleasant application experience – this includes providing all applicants with an outcome. Unsuccessful applicants might one day become your clients. Even if this isn’t the case, they can just as easily leave damaging company reviews.

 

Recruiting new team members is never a quick or easy feat. However, you’re more likely to secure a suitable candidate by providing a pleasant hiring process – for you and for applicants. This can be achieved by ensuring transparency at all times, maintaining a strong brand, creating more personalised interviews and treating all applicants as you would your clients. Put yourself in your applicants’ shoes while also being specific in your recruitment needs. Your success will reflect the effort you put in.