There comes a point in every mature business; that glaring realisation that it’s hard work to find good talent. Skimp on part of the recruitment process and the business will ultimately suffer at the other, nastier end – the end where HR is tasked to manage poor performance and unmotivated staff.

The importance of getting the right people on the bus, and in the right seats is ultimately what drives success in any business. That, and a good product and sound business systems. Of course that’s a real basic view but it’s a winning formula – good people, good product/service and good business systems.

So why do some businesses skimp on the recruiting process? After speaking with various retailers, many of them said things like “you’d be surprised at how many businesses still rush their recruiting process”. Some employers don’t even do the basics like criminal record checks, reference checks or even get the employee to sign a contract. Leaving themselves wide open to legal scrutiny.

Recruiting is more than just a gut feeling.

It’s all very well doing business on a hand shake and using your word as your bond, but in this day and age, people are not always what they seem. I know myself when I was doing validity testing, to justify the decision on whether or not to build Haystack, I would walk into retail stores and just have a chat about their recruiting process.

One retailer I spoke to (and I will never forget this) said that they knew if the person was right for the job within the first 5 seconds of meeting them. Yes first impressions count, but solely basing your recruiting decision on that. I don’t think so.

The point I’m making in simple terms is, skimp on any part of the recruiting process and your business pays the price. A company or business owner can suffer stress, loss of productivity, high turnover or worse; all from a poor hiring decision.

Don’t skimp on the interview process.

Presumably you’ve worked hard to advertise, shortlist and phone screen your potential applicants – now it’s time to get them in for an interview. Alas this is more time away from the business. Should you rush the interview? Only allocate half an hour or less? Quite simply the answer is an emphatic no!

Getting an applicant to the interview stage is arguably the most important part of the recruiting process. This is the business end of recruiting and there’s no room to take short cuts. Statistics show that 96% of candidates say their decision to accept a job or not is influenced by the interviewer’s personality. They then form their impression of the business or company on how well the interviewer conducted their self during the interview process.

Allow enough time to get to know your applicant.

Some employers I have spoken to said that many of their interviews take 10 minutes, tops. Wow. Could anyone honestly say they have made an accurate judgement about a person within 10 minutes? When you hire there’s a need to dig deeper and make sure the person in front of you is who they say they are. Otherwise you might find yourself at the bottom end of trying to dismiss someone later on.

So how much time should an interviewer allocate? This is a good question, but the answer lies not in the time allotted, but in process. The real question as an interviewer, is to ask yourself, whether you have you got all the information you need to make the best informed hiring decision? Once you have the right information on every applicant, you can make the best hiring decisions and find the best possible person for your job.

Be Prepared.

As an interviewer you need to be very prepared. No question. Allow yourself the time, space and energy to represent your business in the best possible light. After all the interview process is a two way street – your applicant should be interviewing you as much as you’re interviewing them.

Familiarise yourself with the applicant’s CV, have a handful of questions noted down, and most of all be prepared to really listen. Take notes during the interview, you’ll need them to compare applicants later on in the recruitment process.

Don’t sell the sausage – sell the sizzle.

In the 1940s a salesman named Elmer Wheeler made what TIME magazine called ‘a handsome living’ advising U.S. businesses: “Don’t sell the sausage – sell the sizzle!” He knew that to be successful in sales, you don’t advertise the sausage, but instead focus on the smells and sounds – that’s what gets people hungry.

In recruitment, the ‘sizzle’ is the reasons why your applicant would want to work for you. The benefits, the work environment, career progression, and so on – that’s the sizzle.

The sausage is the job description; the daily job duties i.e. what the applicant will be doing day-to-day. Yes, work duties need to be covered off, it is important both parties have a clear understanding of what is required for the position. However think about where the company is going – sell the vision! People like to be a part of something; a company that is innovative and is going somewhere.

Not being interview ready.

As an interviewer nothing turns off a good applicant more than an under whelming interview. It’s really important that a business has someone inspiring, thorough and charismatic to head up the recruiting. An unorganised interview looks unprofessional, sloppy and ultimately doesn’t land you the best possible people.

Knowing the value of preparedness during recruitment is paramount. Think about how you can refine your process, make it more slick and professional. The lesson here is don’t take short cuts, like the 5 second meet and greet or the 10 minute interview.

This article was kindly supplied by Haystack Jobs.