Writing a Job Description
Vacancies cannot be filled successfully unless the requirements of the role have been accurately defined in the first place. This is as helpful for you as it is for potential applicants. Therefore it is vital to think about what skills, knowledge and experience you are looking for.
Preparing a job description is not a legal requirement but it can be useful for deciding the scope of the work, advertising the job and clarifying what responsibilities applicants will have in the role. It can also help to assess a new recruit's performance and determine training needs.
A job description should include:
- Job title
- The position in the company that the role reports into and the positions of those that report into it
- The location of the role
- A summary of the purpose and objectives of the role
- Full details of the key responsibilities of the employee
Person Specification
A person specification is also not a legal requirement but again will be useful when defining the qualities you are looking for in a candidate. Include the knowledge, experience and skills you would like them to have, separating those which are essential for the job from those which are desirable.
Interview Tips
The more preparation you do for the interview the easier it will be for you and the candidate
Plan the questions
- Use information from the candidates CV to prepare your questions
- Look for any gaps in education or employment, or anything that does not seem to add up
- Beware of possible discrimination in the questions that you ask, which means that you could miss the best candidate and may be unlawful
- Be familiar with the job description and person specification so that your questions help you compare candidates
- If there is more than one person interviewing decide who will deal with which topics or ask certain questions
- Think about what information the candidate may want about your organisation or the role
- Prepare open ended questions to encourage the applicants to give more information about themselves
Making arrangements for the interview
- Consider where and when interviews are going to take place and whether any adjustments are needed for disabled candidates or in terms of timing for candidates with childcare or religious appointments
- Make sure your interview room is properly prepared with drinks and stationery available
- It is better not to hold the interview sitting behind a desk or sitting on a higher chair than the person being interviewed, sit around a round table if possible
- Make sure that there are no interruptions e.g. switch off mobile phones
- Brief other staff members, such as receptionists, to expect the candidate
- Allow enough time for each interview so that you do not need to rush
- Come to each interview with an open mind
Carrying out the interview
The aim of a good interview is to get as much quality information from the candidate so that you can assess them fairly and fully against your needs
- Welcome the candidate so that they feel relaxed and able to perform at their best
- Introduce yourself and the other interviewers present
- Explain the format of the interview
- Give an outline of your business and where this role fits in
- Encourage the candidate to talk about their skill set and how this is relevant to your vacancy
- Ask open ended questions
- Allow the candidate time to consider the answers they are giving and allow them to give their answers fully
- Keep control of the interview, if candidates go off track bring them back to the information you require
- At the end of the interview invite candidates to ask any questions they may have
- Explain the next stage of the recruitment process and give timescales
- Thank the candidate for their time
Keeping records from an interview
- Ensure that all interviews are backed up with detailed records ideally written as soon as possible after the interview
- Only record what has been said in the interview and how a selection decision was made not your thoughts about the candidate
- Be aware that any candidates who later challenge your decision have a right to ask for copies of any notes made during an interview
- Only record or keep personal data after an interview if it is necessary and relevant to the recruitment process
Making an Offer
Once you have chosen the successful candidate, make the offer as soon as possible. A delay may cause you to lose the best applicant.
Carefully consider your offer of employment, which should be fair to the candidate, mindful of their current salary, in line with their expectations and current industry standards. Remember that applicants may have other offers on the table so no matter how keen they are on your opportunity don't be surprised if they need time to consider their options.
Ensure that all details of the offer are clarified and all aspects of the salary and benefits package clear so that these can be relayed in full to the successful applicant.
Send a copy of the offer by post, this should set out the main terms and conditions of the job and include:
- The applicant's name
- The job title
- The date employment starts (and ends if it is a contract role)
- The length of the probation period (if applicable)
- Any conditions the offer is subject to
- Any action required by the candidate (such as forwarding proof of ID and Right to Work)
Ask the candidate to send you a signed copy of the offer to establish the terms on which the offer was made in case of any future disputes.
References
You should look to contact at least two of the applicant's previous employers, either directly or via your agency to verify that the information that has been given to you is honest and accurate.
Letting the other candidates know
As good as it is to extend an offer you have also got to feedback to the unsuccessful candidates.
Although it may be time consuming you should make every effort to do this in as much detail as possible. The candidate took the time to come in and meet you for an interview so the least you can do is offer them thorough and constructive feedback that they can use for future interviews.
If you genuinely believe there may be an opportunity in the future for some of the candidates to apply for an alternative role with your company, ensure that this is fed back as it could save you a lot of time and effort in the future, or if your newly hired employee doesn't perform as well as expected.
Working with an Agency
To get the most out of your recruitment consultancy you need to be honest about your situation, clear in your instructions and open minded in listening to your consultant's advice. Following the advice below can help ensure that all your dealings with recruitment partners are professional and productive.
Talk to your recruitment consultancy
For all placements it is important to give the full job specification and details of the role you are recruiting for with your consultant. These should include hours and location of work, the reporting line of the role and what tasks are involved. However, don't leave it at that, time invested now ultimately saves time in the long run as the agency will be a lot clearer about what you are looking for and able to identify the right person more quickly. Take the time to discuss things fully with your consultant, ideally face to face, about what kind of person you really want, who will fit in with your current team and the culture of your business. These vital details are often the difference between finding the perfect candidate and a good candidate, but often don't come across on paper.
Openness
Within the constraints of commercial confidentiality try and be as open as possible with the agency about the reasons behind the recruitment decision. For example make them aware if a role has been created due to a planned organisational restructure or if a certain role is not being recruited for right now whilst waiting for a Board decision. This kind of information helps recruiters to think ahead, provide strategic advice and better identify candidates who may suit your recruitment.
Ask questions
Companies often find themselves in need of a new recruit but are unsure of what the current market rate is for those particular skills. If you are struggling with knowing the appropriate starting salary or are unsure of which job title best fits the role you have, ask your consultant. The right recruitment consultant will understand the market, know your industry sector intimately and will be more than happy to give you the insight required to ensure your job description, title, responsibilities and salary are perfectly pitched to attract your ideal candidate
Terms and conditions
An agency should provide you with Terms and Conditions of Business from your first contact and before they provide you with services. Terms should be lawful and transparent and an agency should be happy to discuss these with you and answer any questions that you may have. Unless you specifically object or query them your agreement is considered to be implied. When you do receive them, read them promptly and thoroughly. If you have any questions ask them immediately and make sure that you get an answer. Although it may not seem important at the time it is much better to begin the relationship on a clear footing than to start to raise concerns after it is too late. If you do agree a change to the agency's standard terms make sure these changes are put into writing for future reference.
Payment
Your bills should be paid within agreed payment terms, not only is this good business practice and professional courtesy, failure to do so could forfeit your right to a rebate should this become necessary.
CVs from multiple agencies
An agency should never send a CV without express permission from the candidate therefore, in theory, duplications should never take place. However, if you do receive the same CV from more than one agency if you are interested in interviewing the candidate you should explicitly reject the terms of the agency you do not wish to contract. The fairest way of selecting the agency you wish to represent the candidate is not simply to select the one who sent the CV first but to ascertain which agency has done their job properly, spoken to the candidate first and retain their services. By taking the time to make the right decision you are most likely to ensure a positive working relationship moving forwards and avoid the risk of being charged twice or winding up in a legal dispute.
Candidate suitability
Any candidate that an agency recommends for your role should be suitable and the agency should always be able to justify what, in a candidates skills and experience makes them a good fit for your role.
Customer service
An agency should always specify which member of their team will be managing your account and keep you informed of any new contacts should the existing contact move on.
Consider letting them manage the entire process
Did you know that most consultants are happy to manage print advertising campaigns for you and will happily write the job advert, design the artwork and place the advertisement with the appropriate media? They will also read the CVs, find the candidates, conduct first interviews and negotiate on salary and terms and conditions.
In other words, agencies can do a huge amount of the legwork for you - enabling you to focus on the really critical business of interviewing the best candidates and spotting the best recruit for your business. Agencies often have established relationships with the industry media and will be able to obtain discounts on their rack advertising rates, saving you money, plus if they are managing the entire process for you, that's time and money saved for HR or the recruiting manager.
Be honest and keep in touch
If a bigger project or priority comes up that takes the focus off recruitment, be upfront about it. Your agency will appreciate knowing where they stand and will stop chasing you for answers and come back to you at an agreed time. If they have sent you CVs or set up interviews for you, try and give feedback as soon as you can; this is particularly important if the feedback is negative, because if the agency is sending you the wrong kind of candidate they'll want to quickly refine the type of person they are looking for.
Useful Contacts
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development - www.cipd.co.uk
Personnel Today - www.personneltoday.com
ACAS - www.acas.org.uk
Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform - www.berr.gov.uk
Business Link UK - www.BusinessLink.gov.uk
Citizens Advice Bureau - www.citizensadvice.org.uk
