Recruiting personnel is one of the core requirements of a growing business. Hiring the right employee enhances your work culture and helps you accomplish your business goals.

Indeed, the right person to hire is someone who has the skills to do the job, get along with you and other employees, and someone who you can trust to have the best interest of the business in mind.

Here’s a checklist for success in hiring the right person for your team.

Define the job role

Your very first step should always be to identify the experience and qualifications required for the job. Speak with subordinates and superiors and create a comprehensive ‘wish list’. Determine which skills, education and experience will be necessary for the candidate to possess in order to achieve success in the position. Write out the overall goal of the position, even if it’s quite general. Once you articulate the requirements of the ideal candidate, you can begin your search in earnest.

Search in the right places for the right people

To find an ideal candidate, you have to look in the right places. You can adopt a 3-pronged approach for this.

• Advertise
  Advertising online to attract candidates. Make sure that you communicate the benefits of the position and your organisation.
  
  
• Network
  Network smartly to increase your company’s visibility. The more people know about your organisation, the easier it will be to attract the right talent. Try to determine where the type of candidates you seek, spend time. Talk to other small business owners, as well as vendors, friends and family about your requirements.
  
  
• Partner with a recruiting firm
  Hire a recruiter to help you find the best candidate. Recruiters have the time, and expertise to find the ideal candidates from a large pool of resources.

Also read: Difference between sourcing and recruitment

Vet the candidates

While a candidate may look good on paper, a prescreening interview on call will tell you if they seem like a good match and if the salary expectation is in synch. You can even ask the candidates to share samples of their previous work.

Ask the right interview questions

The job interview is a key element of the hiring process. Ask astute questions that help you separate desirable candidates from average candidates. Be conscious of how you represent yourself and your company as the employer of choice. The 3 P’s to be kept in mind is - Polite, Professional, and Punctual.

Also read: Questions to ask potential employers in an interview

A strong cultural fit is vital

What is the hallmark of your company culture? What kind of workplace do you envision, and what characteristics do you look for in your employees?

It’s important to find an employee that will fit in with your company's culture. Employees who can identify with their company’s ethos tend to experience greater job satisfaction and contribute more to the business.

Trust your instincts

What is your gut feeling about a candidate? While you might be tempted to rely purely on facts, it’s imperative to go with a candidate who you feel (on a gut level), will be an asset to your organisation. Undermining your instincts throughout the hiring process can ultimately do more harm than good.

Always test drive 

Consider hiring someone on a contract or probatory basis, which allows you time to gauge employee suitability. This way you can hire the staff you need immediately but without having to make a long-term commitment. If the person turns out to be good, then you can offer them a full-time position.

Hire interns

Hiring interns is one of the best ways to hire the right employee for your business. You know all of their strengths, weaknesses, skills, knowledge, attitude etc. It takes hard work to select and train an intern, so why not hire from this potential pool when looking to fill permanent positions?

People are the building blocks of an organisation, so it’s important to invest time and energy to ensure that you hire the right person for the job.

Also read: 6 ideas for better employee engagement during the lockdown

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