Published: 22 Jun 2022
When a job vacancy arises, finding the right person with the right skills who is a perfect match for your organisation is certainly a challenge that many of us dread. However, it is important to remember that, however time consuming and occasionally frustrating recruitment can be, the positive impact a good recruitment decision can make on your business should never be underestimated.
It’s very tempting sometimes to rush into recruitment; a vacancy has arisen or you suddenly need more capacity to service new business. However, at this stage it’s important to stop, step back and take stock. Maybe this is a golden opportunity to assess your whole team to see where the less obvious gaps in capacity or skills may be. Perhaps it’s not a simple question of one person leaves and is replaced in a straightforward swap. Is there an argument for potentially altering or slightly changing other members of the team’s roles to take up some other responsibilities. Possibly, with some additional training, a talented member of your team could make a sideways step into a new role that in the long run they might be better suited to. So you may end up recruiting for quite a different role than you first thought.
Getting the details of the job specification right
Regardless of the role, make sure you spend a sufficient amount of time working on the job description. You want to make it as easy as possible for applicants to see if their skills and experience match your requirements. Equally, it will also make it much easier for you to assess applicants’ suitability if you have a really detailed job description to cross reference with. If you decide to go down the route of a recruitment agency, the more detail you can provide about what you’re looking for, the more successful the agency’s search will be.
Online, in print or word of mouth
Once you are happy with the job spec, it’s time to think about where you are going to advertise in the most cost effective and efficient way, in addition to the TSA website of course, if you are a member. Undoubtedly, key publications may be one of the first places that many applicants go to look, whether online or in print. However, depending on the level of the role, you may find this to be prohibitively expensive. Similarly, it’s worth investigating recruitment agencies but be sure to get personal recommendations of ones that have really delivered in your sector before committing yourself. It’s often worth putting details of current vacancies on your own website but just remember to keep it strictly up to date and remove any outdated information as soon as it becomes obsolete.
Social media is a great way of getting the word out that you’re recruiting too. You can also advertise job roles on these channels, such as LinkedIn. Do bear in mind however, that especially if you use the free listings, you are quite likely to get a few time wasters applying, who do not have the relevant expertise or experience. So be prepared to spend some time weeding these out. The paid for advertisements tend to be more tightly targeted and can be very effective.
Personal recommendation and word of mouth can be a very successful means of finding great candidates. Use your personal network – whether online or offline – to put the word out that you are hiring and are looking for recommendations.
Our entire profession has been discussing the skills gap we are facing for some considerable time now. Strong candidates with the right skills can be a challenge to find and you may have to spend longer than you would like to reach them. However, time spent building your team is always time well spent and you should reap the rewards of doing it well for many years to come.
If you are a TSA Member and would like to place a job advert, free of charge, please email all the details to admin@tsa-uk.org.uk.
