Tip 1: Know what you have 

Chances are you already have people in post.  What skills, experience, knowledge and attributes do they have?  Truth is few organisations take the time to even consider this.  Instead they jump straight into what they need.  Take the time to review what you currently have as the first step of the process.

Tip 2: Know what you need

In determining what you need, think about what you already have.  You also need to consider what the organisation or team is going to need over the coming years.  You should also be thinking about the overall business strategy and think about recruiting people who will contribute to achieving the strategy.

Tip 3: Provide good candidate briefings

Too often organisations dust down an old job description and send candidate’s one sheet of A4 with company information.  While this is better than nothing ask yourself what would you want to know if you were a potential applicant for the job?

Tip 4: Plan the selection process

Interviews are still by far the most common way of selecting people.  However, it might be worth adding extra activities especially if you are looking for particular skills.  This might be for example a presentation, writing a report, creating a spreadsheet or even a group role play.  Consider the role and the things that the successful candidate will need and use this to inform the best selection process.

Tip 5: If in doubt don’t recruit

This is what I would say is the golden rule of recruitment.  If your intuition is telling you that for some reason a candidate is just not right, then don’t recruit.  It is better to take a little longer to find the right person than appoint someone who only stays a few months.

Bottom Line – Recruiting a member of staff is a major recruitment decision. So what changes do you need to make to achieve more success as a manager when it comes to recruiting?