Ten top tips for recruiting

According to a recent survey by Jobfind Centres, 77 per cent of employers believe finding suitable staff is their greatest HR challenge. Yet accessing professional help doesn't have to be difficult or costly. Jobfind Centres provide you with recruitment professionals and an extensive pool of job-ready staff, and because we're a member of the Commonwealth government's Job Network, no fees apply to our services.

Jobfind Centre staff have a lot of experience in finding the right person for the job. Here they share some of the their top tips for recruiting.

1. Ask for help if you need it.
You're not expected to be a HR expert, so seek advice and input from others, either from recruitment service providers or from colleagues who've hired successfully. Making the wrong decision can be very costly.

2. Look for transferable skills.
A candidate may not have worked in your industry, but still possess the skills you need. For example, customer service skills, ability to solve problems, time management, or an ability to work independently.

3. Ask questions that apply to the job.
Don't use some set of outdated questions that you think you're supposed to ask but have little meaning for your organisation.

4. Be clear about what experience and skills the job requires.
Make the job description clear to yourself and to the candidate, from the advertisement through to the interview. It's also a good idea to get some input from the supervisor who would be working with them.

5. Take an interest to see if the person would enjoy the job.
Job satisfaction is important for retaining your staff, and cutting the cost of turnover.

6. Take time to recognise cultural differences.
Interviews are a very unique, artificial environment, and don't suit everyone. Give candidates the opportunity to relax a little, as they may be very nervous. Be understanding, or you may let a good employee slip away.

7. Don't hire just because you 'like' the person.
Some people are great friends, but you wouldn't want them to work for you. Look at skills, experience, and how they would fit into the culture of the organisation.

8. Ensure your own biases don't limit your ability to discern a good candidate.
Keep an open mind and look for the candidate who you know will do the best job.

9. Don't lead the candidate to answer the way you would like them to.
Ask open questions, don't suggest an answer. Instead of saying, "so you're good at customer service?" say "tell me about your customer service experience".

10. Cast your net widely.
There are more ways to find staff than advertising in the paper, such as asking your work contacts, speaking to recruiters, or going through university and TAFE careers centres. Jobfind Centres can give you access to a large pool of candidates at no cost.

What to do now

To lodge a vacancy or to get assistance, phone or email your local Jobfind Centre and ask to speak to a Consultant.

Local hotline 1300 360 562