Cast the net wide to get the best hires

Entrepreneurs and companies looking to scale make their first impression on prospective employees through recruitment practices and processes.

This reflects the organisation’s culture and creates an invaluable branding opportunity for any organisation looking to promote itself as an excellent place to work and one that is growing, even where prospective talent is not looking to switch jobs.

Growing enterprises should look to attract the best talent– “bad hires” invariably drain the business of time, training resources and negatively impact morale.

Companies should cast their nets wide to connect with a broader candidate pool, well-honed job descriptions alongside proper branding can help maximise the talent attracted.

Smart talent strategies will assist growing businesses to successfully navigate the challenges of a tight labour market.

Smart entrepreneurial businesses must ensure they stand out amongst the crowd and this involves adopting an appropriate advertising strategy that reflects their business.

Advertising solutions should be cost-effective and monitored to ensure they reach the right potential candidates. It is important that all advertising describes the business, guaranteeing candidates can make an informed decision before taking a role.

Whether the business is an established corporate or a scaling SME, a value proposition is an important aspect of recruitment that follows through to interview and onboarding.

Employees move to new roles for better development opportunities and reward packages. Organisations must use talent management to show their staff the benefits and opportunities available in terms of learning and development, flexibility, work-life balance and career development. 

For growing organisations who particularly need to make the right hires, we recommend thinking outside of the ‘traditional interview’ and include measures such as competency or exercise-based assessments.

Once a hire has been made, it is important that the individual is on-boarded effectively and experiences a positive workplace culture to ensure a sense of inclusivity that supports their ultimate performance through frequent communication.

Outsourcing is an option here.

By conducting the recruitment campaign from start to finish, outsourced recruiters can provide great insights into each of the candidates and their suitability for the role. While recruitment can be considered laborious, the time spent undertaking a thorough process can save time and money, while also future proofing the growth of a scaling business.

Sonya Boyce, Senior Manager in HR Consulting

This article first appeared in The Sunday business Post, January 27, 2019