Staff Recruitment
The people are the business,
so you want to find and retain
staff who are a great fit for
the vacancy. How can you
make yours an aspirational
workplace for top employees?
We look at top tips to recruit
the right candidate, retain and develop staff to build a
strong loyal team which can drive your business
success. Learn how rewards and incentives play a
major part in staff retention, and that there is scope
here for companies to differentiate themselves as
exceptional employers by offering a flexible range of
benefits.
Recruitment
Staff
recruitment and development are vital to the success of
a company. The staff are the company. If you don’t
recruit the right people, lead and motivate them well,
develop and retain them, then the company will not
reach its full potential.
Recruitment is the first step. This is time consuming
and expensive, and if mistakes are made and the wrong
people recruited, damage can be done!! Unhappy staff
never perform well in a business and may affect the
morale of others.
High staff turnover can affect operational performance
and in turn, customer satisfaction, as well as taking up
management time and effort. Some staff turnover is
normal and can be healthy as it allows for new recruits
with new ideas, but a higher than average turnover is
damaging for a business, and expensive too.
Job specification
When a potential new position is identified it is
important to develop a job description. This usually
includes a job specification, and a person specification,
and the competencies required for the role. The
specification will be developed by the Human
Resources (HR) department if there is one, but in a
smaller company it may be developed by the line
manager for the position.
If there is an existing job specification it is worth
making sure it is up to date and reflects the current
and immediate future requirements. Most jobs evolve
over time as new technologies are adopted, and it is
important to attract candidates who are able to deal
with the technology.
Recruitment may be handled in house by HR, or may
be outsourced to specialists. The selection process will
vary depending on the seniority of the position, the size
of the company, budgets etc.
There are many types of interview and stages in the
selection process. These will also vary according to
the vacancy.
Interview process
Interviewing is often in several stages, with HR or
retained outsourcers performing a first filter, and the
line manager doing second stage interviews for a
shortlist.
It is a good idea to put some planning into the format
of the interview, making it job –appropriate if possible.
Interviews can vary from a single interview to a series
of interviews culminating in a panel interview for more
senior positions. Some interview processes include
inviting candidates to an assessment centre for a
series of selection tests and activities.
Here are some of the more usual interview formats;-
Online tests are sometimes used to help develop a
shortlist.
Telephone interview – often by appointment.
One to one interview -first stage .Often carried out by
the Human Resources or Personnel Department.
One to one interview – second stage. This will be more
detailed and may include some skill based tasks or
exercises. This is usually carried out by the line or
departmental manager who will have management
responsibility for the selected candidate.
Panel interview. Often this is used in the final stage
for senior roles or Public service roles.
Lunch or Dinner interviews often used where the role
will involve some hospitality with clients, such as
Buying or Selling.
Group interview Sometimes this involves a day at an
assessment centre to select a short list. The day may
include icebreakers, team building exercises, or
practical skill/job related exercises carried out in
teams, or individually. For this type of exercise, there
is usually a group of facilitators from within the
business. Each of the facilitators may be pre-allocated
a couple of people to observe and report on at the end
of the day de-briefing.
On completion of the exercise the facilitators may be
involved in scoring candidates, not just for performance
in exercises or tasks, but for their behaviour. For
example they will be assessing whether the candidates
are a leader, or a team player, are they able to
persuade others that their view is worthy of
consideration, or are they argumentative or difficult to
work with.
Competency or behavioural based
interviews
This is a very popular technique as it provides a
template for the interview and allows the interviewer to
get a good “feel “ for the candidate, because
behavioral interview questions are more focused than
traditional interview questions.
In preparing the job description the company will have
identified the skills and competencies needed for the
role, and the interviewer will ask questions to find out
if the candidate has those skills. The candidate needs
to respond with related examples of how they have
handled situations in the workplace to demonstrate
those skills or competencies
The candidate is expected to have relevant and
engaging stories for the interviewer that demonstrate
that their application can be backed up by actual
anecdotes about their work and life.
Competency or behavioral based interviews are an
incredibly powerful tool for the interviewer because it
immediately gives them an insight into the candidates
past behavior, and therefore likely future behavior.
Typical competencies and behavioral Interview
questions could include the following;-
Competency identified – Goal oriented
How do you set goals and achieve them.
Did you ever fail to meet your goals? Why?
Give an example of a goal you reached and say how
you achieved it.
Give an example of a goal you didn’t meet and say
how you handled that.
Competency identified – Communication skills
Do you listen? Can you give an example of when
you did or didn’t listen?
Competency identified – team skills
Give an example of team working.
Competency identified – change management
Have you ever had to persuade a team to work on a
project they didn’t want to?
How did you do it?
Competency identified – influencing skills
Have you ever handled a difficult situation with a
client or customer?
Competency identified – managing performance
Do you have an example of how you motivated
staff?
Have you handled a difficult situation with a
member of staff?
There is no right or wrong answer to these questions.
The interviewer is trying to understand how a candidate
has previously behaved in a certain situation, and
establish whether they exhibit the required
competencies.
The interviewer will use the responses to determine if
there is a fit between the candidates’ skills and the
position the company is seeking to fill. They will also
consider the candidates’ likely fit with the company
culture.
Recruitment
Once a candidate is agreed on, the package needs to
be negotiated and accepted. There are many factors,
other than financial, that can make a package
attractive to the selected candidate and it is good
practice to discuss other factors with the candidate at
this stage.
These may include flexible working in terms of hours
and location. Holidays, health care, company car,
phone, and laptop may all be included in the
negotiation. Different aspects of these factors are
important to different people and a successful result
here can affect retention.
Then references should be taken up and a start date
agreed on. An induction should be organised for the
first day. Employees should be made to feel welcome,
perhaps with a “buddy “nominated to show them around
and take them for lunch on the first day.
New employees should be given a clear brief as to
what is expected of them, when, and how, and a
nominated person to go to with queries. This should
help to reduce the high number of people who leave a
job in the first few weeks.
It is a good idea to arrange some form of feedback
from the new employee after the first couple of weeks,
whether as a formal survey, or an informal chat with
the line manager. Any points made should be
considered and actioned for future new starters.
Communication
Open communication with staff is a great idea for all
line managers. A good line manager should know all
their staff by name, and something of their personal life
–enough to ask “How are the children?” “Did your wife
enjoy your holiday? “”How the wedding are plans
coming along? “without being intrusive.
This kind of relationship can be built up by daily
communication. A quick chat with everyone each
morning to check their plans for the day allows a line
manager to informally “take the temperature” of the
team, inform themselves of everyone’s progress and
workload, understand issues, correct priorities, and
maybe balance workload.
This also sends a message that the managers “door “
is open , and gives people an opportunity to bring up
any issues or difficulties, giving the line manager a
chance to foresee and avoid potential problems. So a
few moments with each employee first thing is time
well spent by a line manager, and should not be
construed as gossip.
If there is not the opportunity for this, perhaps because
of working conditions, shift times, or virtual teams,
then the line manager should find a way of instigating
regular informal conversations with their staff, and not
wait for formal annual or six month appraisals to
discuss performance and development.
Ideally there will be a two way process in place so that
staff are kept updated with reports on business
performance, strategy, changes likely to affect them,
and potential for career progression .This will enable
them to feel engaged, and input to new ideas.Recruitment
Staff
recruitment and development are vital to the success of
a company. The staff are the company. If you don’t
recruit the right people, lead and motivate them well,
develop and retain them, then the company will not
reach its full potential.
Recruitment is the first step. This is time consuming
and expensive, and if mistakes are made and the wrong
people recruited, damage can be done!! Unhappy staff
never perform well in a business and may affect the
morale of others.
High staff turnover can affect operational performance
and in turn, customer satisfaction, as well as taking up
management time and effort. Some staff turnover is
normal and can be healthy as it allows for new recruits
with new ideas, but a higher than average turnover is
damaging for a business, and expensive too.
Job specification
When a potential new position is identified it is
important to develop a job description. This usually
includes a job specification, and a person specification,
and the competencies required for the role. The
specification will be developed by the Human
Resources (HR) department if there is one, but in a
smaller company it may be developed by the line
manager for the position.
If there is an existing job specification it is worth
making sure it is up to date and reflects the current
and immediate future requirements. Most jobs evolve
over time as new technologies are adopted, and it is
important to attract candidates who are able to deal
with the technology.
Recruitment may be handled in house by HR, or may
be outsourced to specialists. The selection process will
vary depending on the seniority of the position, the size
of the company, budgets etc.
There are many types of interview and stages in the
selection process. These will also vary according to
the vacancy.
Interview process
Interviewing is often in several stages, with HR or
retained outsourcers performing a first filter, and the
line manager doing second stage interviews for a
shortlist.
It is a good idea to put some planning into the format
of the interview, making it job –appropriate if possible.
Interviews can vary from a single interview to a series
of interviews culminating in a panel interview for more
senior positions. Some interview processes include
inviting candidates to an assessment centre for a
series of selection tests and activities.
Here are some of the more usual interview formats;-
Online tests are sometimes used to help develop a
shortlist.
Telephone interview – often by appointment.
One to one interview -first stage .Often carried out by
the Human Resources or Personnel Department.
One to one interview – second stage. This will be more
detailed and may include some skill based tasks or
exercises. This is usually carried out by the line or
departmental manager who will have management
responsibility for the selected candidate.
Panel interview. Often this is used in the final stage
for senior roles or Public service roles.
Lunch or Dinner interviews often used where the role
will involve some hospitality with clients, such as
Buying or Selling.
Group interview Sometimes this involves a day at an
assessment centre to select a short list. The day may
include icebreakers, team building exercises, or
practical skill/job related exercises carried out in
teams, or individually. For this type of exercise, there
is usually a group of facilitators from within the
business. Each of the facilitators may be pre-allocated
a couple of people to observe and report on at the end
of the day de-briefing.
On completion of the exercise the facilitators may be
involved in scoring candidates, not just for performance
in exercises or tasks, but for their behaviour. For
example they will be assessing whether the candidates
are a leader, or a team player, are they able to
persuade others that their view is worthy of
consideration, or are they argumentative or difficult to
work with.
Competency or behavioural based
interviews
This is a very popular technique as it provides a
template for the interview and allows the interviewer to
get a good “feel “ for the candidate, because
behavioral interview questions are more focused than
traditional interview questions.
In preparing the job description the company will have
identified the skills and competencies needed for the
role, and the interviewer will ask questions to find out
if the candidate has those skills. The candidate needs
to respond with related examples of how they have
handled situations in the workplace to demonstrate
those skills or competencies
The candidate is expected to have relevant and
engaging stories for the interviewer that demonstrate
that their application can be backed up by actual
anecdotes about their work and life.
Competency or behavioral based interviews are an
incredibly powerful tool for the interviewer because it
immediately gives them an insight into the candidates
past behavior, and therefore likely future behavior.
Typical competencies and behavioral Interview
questions could include the following;-
Competency identified – Goal oriented
How do you set goals and achieve them.
Did you ever fail to meet your goals? Why?
Give an example of a goal you reached and say how
you achieved it.
Give an example of a goal you didn’t meet and say
how you handled that.
Competency identified – Communication skills
Do you listen? Can you give an example of when
you did or didn’t listen?
Competency identified – team skills
Give an example of team working.
Competency identified – change management
Have you ever had to persuade a team to work on a
project they didn’t want to?
How did you do it?
Competency identified – influencing skills
Have you ever handled a difficult situation with a
client or customer?
Competency identified – managing performance
Do you have an example of how you motivated
staff?
Have you handled a difficult situation with a
member of staff?
There is no right or wrong answer to these questions.
The interviewer is trying to understand how a candidate
has previously behaved in a certain situation, and
establish whether they exhibit the required
competencies.
The interviewer will use the responses to determine if
there is a fit between the candidates’ skills and the
position the company is seeking to fill. They will also
consider the candidates’ likely fit with the company
culture.
Recruitment
Once a candidate is agreed on, the package needs to
be negotiated and accepted. There are many factors,
other than financial, that can make a package
attractive to the selected candidate and it is good
practice to discuss other factors with the candidate at
this stage.
These may include flexible working in terms of hours
and location. Holidays, health care, company car,
phone, and laptop may all be included in the
negotiation. Different aspects of these factors are
important to different people and a successful result
here can affect retention.
Then references should be taken up and a start date
agreed on. An induction should be organised for the
first day. Employees should be made to feel welcome,
perhaps with a “buddy “nominated to show them around
and take them for lunch on the first day.
New employees should be given a clear brief as to
what is expected of them, when, and how, and a
nominated person to go to with queries. This should
help to reduce the high number of people who leave a
job in the first few weeks.
It is a good idea to arrange some form of feedback
from the new employee after the first couple of weeks,
whether as a formal survey, or an informal chat with
the line manager. Any points made should be
considered and actioned for future new starters.
Communication
Open communication with staff is a great idea for all
line managers. A good line manager should know all
their staff by name, and something of their personal life
–enough to ask “How are the children?” “Did your wife
enjoy your holiday? “”How the wedding are plans
coming along? “without being intrusive.
This kind of relationship can be built up by daily
communication. A quick chat with everyone each
morning to check their plans for the day allows a line
manager to informally “take the temperature” of the
team, inform themselves of everyone’s progress and
workload, understand issues, correct priorities, and
maybe balance workload.
This also sends a message that the managers “door “
is open , and gives people an opportunity to bring up
any issues or difficulties, giving the line manager a
chance to foresee and avoid potential problems. So a
few moments with each employee first thing is time
well spent by a line manager, and should not be
construed as gossip.
If there is not the opportunity for this, perhaps because
of working conditions, shift times, or virtual teams,
then the line manager should find a way of instigating
regular informal conversations with their staff, and not
wait for formal annual or six month appraisals to
discuss performance and development.
Ideally there will be a two way process in place so that
staff are kept updated with reports on business
performance, strategy, changes likely to affect them,
and potential for career progression .This will enable
them to feel engaged, and input to new ideas.
The people are the business,
so you want to find and retain
staff who are a great fit for
the vacancy. How can you
make yours an aspirational
workplace for top employees?
We look at top tips to recruit
the right candidate, retain and develop staff to build a
strong loyal team which can drive your business
success. Learn how rewards and incentives play a
major part in staff retention, and that there is scope
here for companies to differentiate themselves as
exceptional employers by offering a flexible range of
benefits.
Recruitment
Staff
recruitment and development are vital to the success of
a company. The staff are the company. If you don’t
recruit the right people, lead and motivate them well,
develop and retain them, then the company will not
reach its full potential.
Recruitment is the first step. This is time consuming
and expensive, and if mistakes are made and the wrong
people recruited, damage can be done!! Unhappy staff
never perform well in a business and may affect the
morale of others.
High staff turnover can affect operational performance
and in turn, customer satisfaction, as well as taking up
management time and effort. Some staff turnover is
normal and can be healthy as it allows for new recruits
with new ideas, but a higher than average turnover is
damaging for a business, and expensive too.
Job specification
When a potential new position is identified it is
important to develop a job description. This usually
includes a job specification, and a person specification,
and the competencies required for the role. The
specification will be developed by the Human
Resources (HR) department if there is one, but in a
smaller company it may be developed by the line
manager for the position.
If there is an existing job specification it is worth
making sure it is up to date and reflects the current
and immediate future requirements. Most jobs evolve
over time as new technologies are adopted, and it is
important to attract candidates who are able to deal
with the technology.
Recruitment may be handled in house by HR, or may
be outsourced to specialists. The selection process will
vary depending on the seniority of the position, the size
of the company, budgets etc.
There are many types of interview and stages in the
selection process. These will also vary according to
the vacancy.
Interview process
Interviewing is often in several stages, with HR or
retained outsourcers performing a first filter, and the
line manager doing second stage interviews for a
shortlist.
It is a good idea to put some planning into the format
of the interview, making it job –appropriate if possible.
Interviews can vary from a single interview to a series
of interviews culminating in a panel interview for more
senior positions. Some interview processes include
inviting candidates to an assessment centre for a
series of selection tests and activities.
Here are some of the more usual interview formats;-
Online tests are sometimes used to help develop a
shortlist.
Telephone interview – often by appointment.
One to one interview -first stage .Often carried out by
the Human Resources or Personnel Department.
One to one interview – second stage. This will be more
detailed and may include some skill based tasks or
exercises. This is usually carried out by the line or
departmental manager who will have management
responsibility for the selected candidate.
Panel interview. Often this is used in the final stage
for senior roles or Public service roles.
Lunch or Dinner interviews often used where the role
will involve some hospitality with clients, such as
Buying or Selling.
Group interview Sometimes this involves a day at an
assessment centre to select a short list. The day may
include icebreakers, team building exercises, or
practical skill/job related exercises carried out in
teams, or individually. For this type of exercise, there
is usually a group of facilitators from within the
business. Each of the facilitators may be pre-allocated
a couple of people to observe and report on at the end
of the day de-briefing.
On completion of the exercise the facilitators may be
involved in scoring candidates, not just for performance
in exercises or tasks, but for their behaviour. For
example they will be assessing whether the candidates
are a leader, or a team player, are they able to
persuade others that their view is worthy of
consideration, or are they argumentative or difficult to
work with.
Competency or behavioural based
interviews
This is a very popular technique as it provides a
template for the interview and allows the interviewer to
get a good “feel “ for the candidate, because
behavioral interview questions are more focused than
traditional interview questions.
In preparing the job description the company will have
identified the skills and competencies needed for the
role, and the interviewer will ask questions to find out
if the candidate has those skills. The candidate needs
to respond with related examples of how they have
handled situations in the workplace to demonstrate
those skills or competencies
The candidate is expected to have relevant and
engaging stories for the interviewer that demonstrate
that their application can be backed up by actual
anecdotes about their work and life.
Competency or behavioral based interviews are an
incredibly powerful tool for the interviewer because it
immediately gives them an insight into the candidates
past behavior, and therefore likely future behavior.
Typical competencies and behavioral Interview
questions could include the following;-
Competency identified – Goal oriented
How do you set goals and achieve them.
Did you ever fail to meet your goals? Why?
Give an example of a goal you reached and say how
you achieved it.
Give an example of a goal you didn’t meet and say
how you handled that.
Competency identified – Communication skills
Do you listen? Can you give an example of when
you did or didn’t listen?
Competency identified – team skills
Give an example of team working.
Competency identified – change management
Have you ever had to persuade a team to work on a
project they didn’t want to?
How did you do it?
Competency identified – influencing skills
Have you ever handled a difficult situation with a
client or customer?
Competency identified – managing performance
Do you have an example of how you motivated
staff?
Have you handled a difficult situation with a
member of staff?
There is no right or wrong answer to these questions.
The interviewer is trying to understand how a candidate
has previously behaved in a certain situation, and
establish whether they exhibit the required
competencies.
The interviewer will use the responses to determine if
there is a fit between the candidates’ skills and the
position the company is seeking to fill. They will also
consider the candidates’ likely fit with the company
culture.
Recruitment
Once a candidate is agreed on, the package needs to
be negotiated and accepted. There are many factors,
other than financial, that can make a package
attractive to the selected candidate and it is good
practice to discuss other factors with the candidate at
this stage.
These may include flexible working in terms of hours
and location. Holidays, health care, company car,
phone, and laptop may all be included in the
negotiation. Different aspects of these factors are
important to different people and a successful result
here can affect retention.
Then references should be taken up and a start date
agreed on. An induction should be organised for the
first day. Employees should be made to feel welcome,
perhaps with a “buddy “nominated to show them around
and take them for lunch on the first day.
New employees should be given a clear brief as to
what is expected of them, when, and how, and a
nominated person to go to with queries. This should
help to reduce the high number of people who leave a
job in the first few weeks.
It is a good idea to arrange some form of feedback
from the new employee after the first couple of weeks,
whether as a formal survey, or an informal chat with
the line manager. Any points made should be
considered and actioned for future new starters.
Communication
Open communication with staff is a great idea for all
line managers. A good line manager should know all
their staff by name, and something of their personal life
–enough to ask “How are the children?” “Did your wife
enjoy your holiday? “”How the wedding are plans
coming along? “without being intrusive.
This kind of relationship can be built up by daily
communication. A quick chat with everyone each
morning to check their plans for the day allows a line
manager to informally “take the temperature” of the
team, inform themselves of everyone’s progress and
workload, understand issues, correct priorities, and
maybe balance workload.
This also sends a message that the managers “door “
is open , and gives people an opportunity to bring up
any issues or difficulties, giving the line manager a
chance to foresee and avoid potential problems. So a
few moments with each employee first thing is time
well spent by a line manager, and should not be
construed as gossip.
If there is not the opportunity for this, perhaps because
of working conditions, shift times, or virtual teams,
then the line manager should find a way of instigating
regular informal conversations with their staff, and not
wait for formal annual or six month appraisals to
discuss performance and development.
Ideally there will be a two way process in place so that
staff are kept updated with reports on business
performance, strategy, changes likely to affect them,
and potential for career progression .This will enable
them to feel engaged, and input to new ideas.Recruitment
Staff
recruitment and development are vital to the success of
a company. The staff are the company. If you don’t
recruit the right people, lead and motivate them well,
develop and retain them, then the company will not
reach its full potential.
Recruitment is the first step. This is time consuming
and expensive, and if mistakes are made and the wrong
people recruited, damage can be done!! Unhappy staff
never perform well in a business and may affect the
morale of others.
High staff turnover can affect operational performance
and in turn, customer satisfaction, as well as taking up
management time and effort. Some staff turnover is
normal and can be healthy as it allows for new recruits
with new ideas, but a higher than average turnover is
damaging for a business, and expensive too.
Job specification
When a potential new position is identified it is
important to develop a job description. This usually
includes a job specification, and a person specification,
and the competencies required for the role. The
specification will be developed by the Human
Resources (HR) department if there is one, but in a
smaller company it may be developed by the line
manager for the position.
If there is an existing job specification it is worth
making sure it is up to date and reflects the current
and immediate future requirements. Most jobs evolve
over time as new technologies are adopted, and it is
important to attract candidates who are able to deal
with the technology.
Recruitment may be handled in house by HR, or may
be outsourced to specialists. The selection process will
vary depending on the seniority of the position, the size
of the company, budgets etc.
There are many types of interview and stages in the
selection process. These will also vary according to
the vacancy.
Interview process
Interviewing is often in several stages, with HR or
retained outsourcers performing a first filter, and the
line manager doing second stage interviews for a
shortlist.
It is a good idea to put some planning into the format
of the interview, making it job –appropriate if possible.
Interviews can vary from a single interview to a series
of interviews culminating in a panel interview for more
senior positions. Some interview processes include
inviting candidates to an assessment centre for a
series of selection tests and activities.
Here are some of the more usual interview formats;-
Online tests are sometimes used to help develop a
shortlist.
Telephone interview – often by appointment.
One to one interview -first stage .Often carried out by
the Human Resources or Personnel Department.
One to one interview – second stage. This will be more
detailed and may include some skill based tasks or
exercises. This is usually carried out by the line or
departmental manager who will have management
responsibility for the selected candidate.
Panel interview. Often this is used in the final stage
for senior roles or Public service roles.
Lunch or Dinner interviews often used where the role
will involve some hospitality with clients, such as
Buying or Selling.
Group interview Sometimes this involves a day at an
assessment centre to select a short list. The day may
include icebreakers, team building exercises, or
practical skill/job related exercises carried out in
teams, or individually. For this type of exercise, there
is usually a group of facilitators from within the
business. Each of the facilitators may be pre-allocated
a couple of people to observe and report on at the end
of the day de-briefing.
On completion of the exercise the facilitators may be
involved in scoring candidates, not just for performance
in exercises or tasks, but for their behaviour. For
example they will be assessing whether the candidates
are a leader, or a team player, are they able to
persuade others that their view is worthy of
consideration, or are they argumentative or difficult to
work with.
Competency or behavioural based
interviews
This is a very popular technique as it provides a
template for the interview and allows the interviewer to
get a good “feel “ for the candidate, because
behavioral interview questions are more focused than
traditional interview questions.
In preparing the job description the company will have
identified the skills and competencies needed for the
role, and the interviewer will ask questions to find out
if the candidate has those skills. The candidate needs
to respond with related examples of how they have
handled situations in the workplace to demonstrate
those skills or competencies
The candidate is expected to have relevant and
engaging stories for the interviewer that demonstrate
that their application can be backed up by actual
anecdotes about their work and life.
Competency or behavioral based interviews are an
incredibly powerful tool for the interviewer because it
immediately gives them an insight into the candidates
past behavior, and therefore likely future behavior.
Typical competencies and behavioral Interview
questions could include the following;-
Competency identified – Goal oriented
How do you set goals and achieve them.
Did you ever fail to meet your goals? Why?
Give an example of a goal you reached and say how
you achieved it.
Give an example of a goal you didn’t meet and say
how you handled that.
Competency identified – Communication skills
Do you listen? Can you give an example of when
you did or didn’t listen?
Competency identified – team skills
Give an example of team working.
Competency identified – change management
Have you ever had to persuade a team to work on a
project they didn’t want to?
How did you do it?
Competency identified – influencing skills
Have you ever handled a difficult situation with a
client or customer?
Competency identified – managing performance
Do you have an example of how you motivated
staff?
Have you handled a difficult situation with a
member of staff?
There is no right or wrong answer to these questions.
The interviewer is trying to understand how a candidate
has previously behaved in a certain situation, and
establish whether they exhibit the required
competencies.
The interviewer will use the responses to determine if
there is a fit between the candidates’ skills and the
position the company is seeking to fill. They will also
consider the candidates’ likely fit with the company
culture.
Recruitment
Once a candidate is agreed on, the package needs to
be negotiated and accepted. There are many factors,
other than financial, that can make a package
attractive to the selected candidate and it is good
practice to discuss other factors with the candidate at
this stage.
These may include flexible working in terms of hours
and location. Holidays, health care, company car,
phone, and laptop may all be included in the
negotiation. Different aspects of these factors are
important to different people and a successful result
here can affect retention.
Then references should be taken up and a start date
agreed on. An induction should be organised for the
first day. Employees should be made to feel welcome,
perhaps with a “buddy “nominated to show them around
and take them for lunch on the first day.
New employees should be given a clear brief as to
what is expected of them, when, and how, and a
nominated person to go to with queries. This should
help to reduce the high number of people who leave a
job in the first few weeks.
It is a good idea to arrange some form of feedback
from the new employee after the first couple of weeks,
whether as a formal survey, or an informal chat with
the line manager. Any points made should be
considered and actioned for future new starters.
Communication
Open communication with staff is a great idea for all
line managers. A good line manager should know all
their staff by name, and something of their personal life
–enough to ask “How are the children?” “Did your wife
enjoy your holiday? “”How the wedding are plans
coming along? “without being intrusive.
This kind of relationship can be built up by daily
communication. A quick chat with everyone each
morning to check their plans for the day allows a line
manager to informally “take the temperature” of the
team, inform themselves of everyone’s progress and
workload, understand issues, correct priorities, and
maybe balance workload.
This also sends a message that the managers “door “
is open , and gives people an opportunity to bring up
any issues or difficulties, giving the line manager a
chance to foresee and avoid potential problems. So a
few moments with each employee first thing is time
well spent by a line manager, and should not be
construed as gossip.
If there is not the opportunity for this, perhaps because
of working conditions, shift times, or virtual teams,
then the line manager should find a way of instigating
regular informal conversations with their staff, and not
wait for formal annual or six month appraisals to
discuss performance and development.
Ideally there will be a two way process in place so that
staff are kept updated with reports on business
performance, strategy, changes likely to affect them,
and potential for career progression .This will enable
them to feel engaged, and input to new ideas.
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