Recruitment - step by step guide (V4f35bd459fa324.06368927)

The cost of employing the wrong person can be enormous: wasted time, wasted training, mistakes, replacement costs, legal action ... the list goes on. Making the right decision can therefore directly contribute to improving your business performance.

Our guide takes you through the essential steps to effective recruitment and will:

Before you jump in, fully consider the role that is needed. If this is a new post, create a job description . If an existing post, review the job description to ensure that it properly describes the current role, and if necessary change or update this to meet your current and known future requirements.

The job description will not only help you to decide what you need, it also provides a useful summary of the job for potential applicants, agencies, the local Job Centre etc. See our guide to writing a job description .

Check that your budget allows you to recruit to this role, and if your business has a particular procedure for gaining authority to commence recruiting, ensure that you follow this! We have come across many examples of managers starting recruitment without the appropriate go-ahead, which wastes both their and the candidates' time, and also does not reflect well on your business.

There are a variety of ways in which you may do this:

the Internet - an increasingly popular choice
your local Job Centre - there's no cost and it can be very effective
an internal advert or notice aimed at current employees who may be keen to apply
an advert in local or national press or professional/industry publications
a file of any previous applicants
a notice in your window or that of a local shop or library
schools or colleges
a referral scheme to encourage your employees to suggest suitable candidates for your vacancies.

When advertising, remember to:

make the job and the organisation sound interesting, but don't oversell the job - be realistic.
include key factors such as location, job title, salary, overview of the role.
include key essential skills from the person specification to avoid receiving applications from candidates who do not meet the essential requirements - wasting their time and yours.
Ask questions instead of making statements. Are you keen to work with employees? Do you thrive in an environment of rapid growth? Would you like to put your PC skills to full advantage?
Exclude any stipulations which could be seen as discriminatory , eg applying an age restriction which is not necessary. Don't use words which could be considered discriminatory eg "lively, enthusiastic" could imply "young"; "mature and experienced" could imply "older".
If possible, include the closing date plus the date of interview.

See our guide to writing job adverts .

Make a shortlist . Use a matrix containing the essential and desirable elements of your person specification and consider each application against this to establish who should be interviewed. Consider each applicant against these elements. Candidates who don't have all the essential criteria should not be shortlisted unless training could be given in a relatively short timeframe.

Ideally get applicants to complete an application form (even if you have their CVs) as it ensures that you get the same information in the same format from each candidate. This reduces the possibility of bias and discrimination . Ensure that you select for interview those who match the specifications, regardless of any protected characteristic (age , sex , race , sexual orientation , religion or belief , disability , pregnancy or maternity , gender reassignment, marital status or civil partnership), and that the specifications are not themselves discriminatory.

If you are inundated with suitable candidates and cannot possibly interview them all, the fairest way to select for interview is randomly, eg select every fourth application from the pile.

You may wish to inform the candidates who did not make the short-list, or you may wish to leave this until the interviews are complete.

Interviewing the candidates will provide you with useful information but you may wish to take this further. Ways in which you could gain more relevant information to help your selection include:

Taking up references .
You must have the specific permission of the applicant to do so, particularly if you wish to contact his/her current employer. Note that if you are taking up references prior to making a job offer, you should not ask questions about a candidate's disability or medical conditions, except in limited circumstances.
Get others to see your preferred candidate(s). This could be done informally, eg someone could show them around or talk to them about their job, or more formally at another interview. In these circumstances ensure that this is clearly part of the interview process. Inform the candidates; ask those involved to assess the candidates against agreed criteria. Use the process to cover in more depth parts of the job description /person specification . Know what you are trying to achieve from each interaction and make sure any feedback is given in a structured way.
Ask the candidate to do a presentation, a case study, some tests or a full assessment. Ensure that these are relevant to the job and enable them to demonstrate skills or abilities which are genuinely required.

We are thinking of using telephone screening to reduce the numbers of those invited to interview. Are there any pitfalls?

Particularly for roles where you are likely to attract a large number of applicants, and particularly for jobs which require good telephone skills, telephone screening may assist in your shortlisting of candidates as long as the questions are non-discriminatory, based on the application form and the decision whether or not to invite to interview is based on responses in line with your person specification.

Do ensure that your screening is not indirectly discriminatory, so that anyone with a hearing problem, or whose first language is not English for example, is not unfairly disadvantaged. Don't take telephone skills or language skills into account if these are not a requirement of the job.

Ensure that you have a list of clear questions and guidelines on scoring so that all of your call handlers are consistent in their ratings.

We don't want to fall foul of disability discrimination. How do we ensure interview arrangements are suitable for all candidates when we don't know if any have mobility or otherissues?

When writing to invite candidates to interview it is good practice to include: "If you have a disability and need any special arrangements making for the interview, please let me know in advance. "

Then take any necessary steps to overcome any issues. If mobility is an issue, consider your location. Is it on the ground floor? Is there lift /wheelchair access? Is parking provided nearby? How accessible is it by public transport?

It is worth noting that there may be issues to consider other than mobility too, ie hearing/sight/language issues.

A candidate recently asked if we reimbursed travel costs for interview. We don't, but should we consider this?

Some employers do offer to reimburse costs but you are under no legal obligation to do so. You can help to keep costs to a minimum by considering travel times, ie if rail travel is involved, arrange interviews so the candidates do not have to travel at peak times. Give those who are coming a fair distance an interview slot in the middle of the day to negate the need for an overnight stay. If this cannot be done, then you may wish to offer a contribution to the actual cost of overnight accommodation but ensure you are clear about how much this is or you may face an expensive bill!

Candidates who are claiming benefits may be able to get assistance with travel costs and you should advise them to take this up with their Job Centre.

Are we allowed to insist on a pre-employment medical prior to joining us? If so, under what circumstances would we be able to withdraw our offer?

It is perfectly acceptable to require candidates, who have been made an offer of employment and accepted this, to undergo a pre-employment medical, provided that everyone is treated consistently. The primary reasons are to ensure that you are aware of any medical conditions which are present before joining, and to ensure that any reasonable adjustments are made to the employee's working conditions, if required.

The only time it would be fair to withdraw an offer would be in situations where a medical condition could be exacerbated by the particular job or where the condition presents an unacceptable risk to the organisation. For example, someone with asthma working in confined dusty spaces or someone with a back problem bending and lifting heavy items.

There are certain guidelines to follow regarding the protection and use of medical data and the Equality Act 2010 protects candidates from being asked medical screening questions during the selection process, with a few exceptions. See our guide to avoiding discrimination in recruitment .

We genuinely require our employees to cover unsociable hours from time to time and are worried that mothers with younger children will not be able to manage this. Given this need, can we ask them directly at interview?

Yes and no! You cannot ask this question specifically of females or those you presume to be mothers as this would be directly discriminatory. You must not assume there will be childcare difficulties (or that male candidates will not have similar issues) as you have no idea what arrangements candidates have in place.

Given the genuine need for out of office hours working, it is fair to point this out to all candidates (male and female) and ask if their domestic circumstances (which could include caring for a relative) allow them to meet these requirements.