Define what and who you are looking for

The first principle of recruitment is to define exactly what you are looking for, in terms of both the job and the person. First, look at the job. Is there actually a vacancy? What is the business need? What tasks will the job involve? Will the work be required on a permanent basis or is it just a matter of helping you out with specific short-term tasks on a temporary or fixed-term basis? How much work is there – enough for a full-time position or will part-time be sufficient? Think about the terms and conditions of the job – what hours will it involve, will it require travelling, where will it be based? Also consider whether you will need to (or be able to) provide training, and how the role might develop in the future as your business expands. When you’ve decided on all of these factors, you need to draw up a job description. This will give you a thorough overview of what the job will entail and it will be an invaluable recruitment and selection tool. Here’s an example of the type of headings that a typical job description contains:

• job title – a concise and accurate name for the position
• job scope and outline – a brief overview of the purpose and nature of the job and its key responsibilities
• reporting – an explanation of whom the jobholder reports to (and who reports to the jobholder if applicable) and where the job fits in the structure of the organisation
• key tasks – a list of all the main duties that the postholder will be expected to undertake in the job and the standard to which they should be completed

After having defined what job needs done, you now need to decide who you need to carry out the job. You’ll gather together all the information from your analysis into a person specification, which will also be an invaluable tool in the recruitment and selection process for helping you to compare, shortlist and select candidates in a fair, logical and objective manner. The criteria included in your person specification should be clear and measurable, and you should split the criteria into ‘essential’ – the qualities that are absolutely necessary to be able to do the job – and ‘desirable’ – additional qualities that would be beneficial to the role. This will help you to make an informed and fair decision should you have many potentially suitable candidates. When detailing what you require of the jobholder, you should be careful not to be discriminatory in any way. Remember that it is illegal to discriminate on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, race or religion. Refer to www.acas.org.uk, www.cipd.co.uk or www.direct.gov.uk for more information. It is also advisable to consult an employment law professional to ensure that your recruitment and selection process is legal and non-discriminatory as it’s a very complex and sensitive area.

Typical headings in person specifications are:

• education, qualifications and training
• experience
• knowledge
• skills – both behavioural (e.g. able to work in a team) and task-based (able to use a computer)
• special demands of the job

Both the job description and the person specification will be equally as invaluable to candidates as they will be to you, as they will create a clear picture of what is expected of the job and the jobholder and will allow candidates to self-select, saving you the time of having to screen piles of unsuitable applications. 

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