Now that you have decided to hire staff it is imperative to be prepared. I would highly recommend you spend some time thinking about who you want in terms of skills, experience, qualifications and availability. You will put your business at risk by hiring the wrong person or for the wrong reason. The saying 'hire slow and fire fast' makes sense to ensure you hire the right person and then quickly get rid of the person if they do not work out.
Planning out the recruitment process
Timing is important in the process, so you don’t rush and hire out of desperation. Do not wait until you need a staff member - yesterday. Identify early that you need someone in the near future and start the recruitment process way in advance, so you have someone on board and possibly familiar with your business and clients before a busy period. Some things for you to consider;
- The entire process may take 2 to 3 months
- Ensure you have time to follow up with interviews
- Hire months before you need them, so they are ready to hit the ground running
Who are you looking for
This is a similar process to identifying your Ideal Client. What are the attributes to your Ideal Employee? What does your business need? Consider your business growth and not just what you need right now. Identify these attributes before you go to market.
Advertising for a Bookkeeper
Seek is the most common place to advertise, but you can use Gumtree, CareerOne, local school newsletters and networking. When I place an ad I like to ask 3 or 4 questions to assess how they respond and to develop a gut feel for the person. The questions could be a mixture of what the candidate wants from a role or technical questions.
Reviewing the resumes
As the resumes come in have a system to assess them in a consistent way eg compare apples to apples. You will need to compare skills, quals and experience.
Phone Interview
Have a dozen questions to ask the candidate over the phone before you ask them to come in for a test and face to face to interview. This allows you to develop a gut feel about the person and learn a bit more about them. At this point get an idea of what $value they want as it is waste of time
Skills and Speed Test
Testing the candidate is important and a step that should not be missed. To do so can be critical to the success of your recruitment. A candidate will always want to impress how good they are but ensure you put this to the test.
The Interview
If they went well in the testing stage bring them in for a face-to-face interview and learn more about what they want from a job with questions such as 'What is your Ideal Job'. What can you see yourself doing in 5 years time? Get them talking about themselves.
Ideally you should always be in recruitment mode
By this, I mean if you came across someone that would suit your business perfectly, have the right attitude then you could possibly find a role in your business for them. You do not have to wait until you are desperate for staff to consider recruiting.
If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us to assist you in your recruiting.
