As a business owner, everything falls on your shoulders, you are extremely busy all the time and everything you do has to make a positive impact on your business.  Recruiting is one of the most significant investments you can make in your business; if it’s done right, it’s a positive investment for years to come, if it’s done wrong, it’s a significant cost to your business, possibly for years to come.

Gone are the days where the candidate pool was plentiful.  Really good talent is hard to find but well worth the investment in your business.  Taking extra time upfront will reward you down the road and keep you focused on what you are meant to do…drive business results!

Having solid recruitment processes in place is an important aspect of your strategic business planning process. If you don’t have specific processes in place yet, these action planning tips will kick start it for you.

Your Action Plan

 1.    Back to Basics

Having a well-crafted job description is the foundation for a solid job posting. Spending time developing really good job descriptions not only makes creating a job posting much easier, it streamlines other HR functions including supporting a solid interview process and providing potential candidates with a realistic outline of the job itself.

2.    Be Specific

Are you receiving way more unqualified applicants or not enough with the right skills?  First and foremost, remember back to basics…write the solid job description then create a specific job posting.  Then look at where you are looking for talent, is it in the right places?  Instead of casting a wide net in traditional search areas (newspaper and job boards), be specific and use targeted avenues for your area of specialty.  Three areas to keep in mind are:

Tapping into your business related social media sites like LinkedIn groups dedicated to your business specialty, your business Twitter account or other social media avenues that specifically target your industry will capture the attention of only those with the skills you are looking for.

Your current team members are also great resources as they know your company well. Encourage your team members to present potential candidates to you even if you don’t have current openings.  Spending time with these people in “informational style interviews” is not for the purpose of a job that openly exists but more so to understand their skills, fit and interest level.  These meetings act as a pre-screening and could pay off handsomely with a much quicker and smoother recruitment process when a need does arise. (You may think of providing an incentive for your employees who refer successful candidates to your company.  It’s much cheaper than a full recruiting process and promotes engagement amongst your employees.)

Networking in person will always be a significant leverage for recruitment. If you meet great talent outside of your company at different events, start becoming very curious if you aren’t already; have more discussions and make more connections.  Invite people in to your office for informational interviews if they have a genuine curiosity in your company or have traits that appeal to you.  If you have a social media site(s) invite them to connect with you or better yet, you connect with them.  Genuine interest is very appealing to all people.

Social media networking – even with our busy lives, try and find time to be active on at least one social media site and if you can’t, dedicate at least one person in your office to participate in that process. It doesn’t actually have to take much time.  In our growing world of technology, more and more potential candidates will be using technology and within 5 years, technology and networking will be the major sources of recruitment.

3.    Don’t Settle

Sometimes finding the right candidate can take a lot of time and effort.  It becomes draining on everyone who is taking on extra responsibilities.  My experience has shown that settling for the wrong candidate will not work.  You may have to bring in someone with less skill than what you are looking for and that’s ok and is NOT settling if they have the right attitude and support to gain the skills they require.

Settling in my mind is not conducting a thorough process because you are drained from an exhaustive search with no luck or just taking the first “warm body” to fill a void and then missing important steps such as checking references and not setting up a proper support plan to ensure the incumbent is successful.

4.    Orientation is Important!

Once you have the right candidate, set them up for success and ensure they become “raving fans” of your company.  Provide a structured orientation program which includes:

• Complete all necessary documentation to get them set up properly (payroll, confidentiality agreements, emergency contacts, training schedule).
• Provide the Employee handbook, review the most important policies, and then set timeline for them to for them to review it in its entirety.  Be sure you get their signature identifying that they have read and understood the information in the handbook.  Provide an environment where employees feel comfortable to ask questions about your handbook contents.
• Ensure they have the right tools to do their job and the right support to become productive quickly.  This will benefit your new employee and your company.
• Provide specific expectations for the first three months (probationary period) along with the support needed to be successful.  This is especially important for you as the leader so at the end of their first three months approaches, you will know for certain if they are the right candidate. This time period is not just about skills but more importantly about how they “fit” with the rest of your team.  It’s also important for your new employee so they know what’s expected of them.
• Follow up with your employees regularly in their first year to ensure they remain motivated and engaged.

Recruiting is becoming more challenging and will continue to be so.  Establishing solid recruitment practices is a critical first step.  Ensuring your new employees stay on to become engaged, motivated and productive team members for years to come will play a major role in the success of your company.