Bite-Sized Training™

Recruiting Skills
Recruiting Skills
Bite-Sized Training

This e-book is published by Mind Tools Ltd.

Copyright © Mind Tools Ltd 2007-2013. All rights reserved.

Version 2.0.

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Cover image © iStockphoto/ermingut.

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Why Recruitment Matters 2

3. The Job Description 4

4. Recruitment Methods 12

5. Interviewing 16

6. Key Learning Points 19

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1.  Introduction

E
ffective recruiting means getting the right people into the right jobs. When
you put it like that, it certainly doesn’t sound complicated.
Surely, all you need to do is:

1. Post a job ad.

2. Wait for résumés to arrive.
3. Interview the people who catch your attention.
4. Hire the one you like best.
This is how people get hired in all types and sizes of organizations, in all industries,
and in all parts of the world. The reality though, is that this method of recruiting
is a real gamble. Without taking the time to understand the job, and without
thinking in detail about the person who would best suit the position, you may be
in for a nasty surprise when your new hire comes on board.
For instance, she may not be capable enough (or may be too capable), she may
have severe personality conflicts with other members of staff, or she may feel that
she was promised a job that is different from the role that she finds herself in.
Hiring the wrong people will affect your performance too: you won’t be
effective in your job if you spend the bulk of your time trying to get the wrong
person to perform in the right way. Members of your team will be frustrated
by having to “carry” a poor performer. And your team will never reach its full
productive potential.
Recruitment is a key function in a well-managed organization, and you need to
spend an appropriate amount of time planning and preparing for recruitment.
After all, it’s far better to spend time up-front making sure that you find the right
people, rather than simply taking a chance, and hoping that you find them.
This Bite-Sized Training™ session introduces you to key strategies, techniques, and
practices for finding great candidates, and for choosing the ones that will fit best
within your organization.
In it, you’ll learn:
• How to write a job description.
• How to advertise your job opening.
• How to assess candidates’ suitability for the role.

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2.  Why Recruitment Matters

T
here are many reasons why you need to get your recruitment decisions
right first time. These include:
• Increased productivity – clearly, the right person in the right role
can be highly productive. By contrast, if your new recruit lacks the right
skills, has personality issues, or isn’t a “team player,” this can reduce the
productivity of the whole team.
• Lower training costs – training is expensive, so you need to recruit people
who will quickly start performing well. This is particularly important where
the job is complex, and where a lot of training and experience is needed
before someone can become effective.
• Decreased staff turnover – when you take the time to hire properly,
you reduce staff turnover. Finding an employee who fits well with your
organization saves you money in the long run.
• Better use of your time – would you rather spend time bringing one
employee up to a minimum level of performance, or bringing a number
of good employees up to high performance? When you have to fix
problems caused by a poor hiring decision, you have less time to do your
own work, and less time to help others. Sure, there will always be human
resource issues to deal with, but good recruitment strategies help
minimize these.
Overall, hiring the right people can make a huge difference to your bottom line,
particularly when you consider the costs of recruitment, and the opportunities
lost by not having the right people in the right place at the right time.

Action:
Think about two situations in the past (ideally at a previous employer) when
there was a hiring mistake in your department.
Why was there a mismatch between the job and the person? Was it caused by
a lack of skill, or a lack of motivation or challenge? Was it caused by a poor fit
between the person and the rest of the team, or didn’t the person’s values fit
with the organization’s?
Write down your thoughts in the space on the next page.

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 Situation 1:

Situation 2:

Having reflected on previous poor hiring decisions, you should now be ready to
tackle recruitment in a positive and effective manner.
The first step is to understand the nature of the job you’re recruiting for. We’ll look
at this aspect of recruitment next.

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3.  The Job Description

F
or many small- and medium-sized businesses, preparing a job description is
neither a high priority, nor easy. Many positions within these organizations
simply evolve, based on the position-holder’s skills, abilities, aptitudes, and
interests. This informal system of responsibility works well, until the position
holder decides to leave.
How do you begin to recruit for a position when you haven’t taken the time to
examine the qualifications necessary to do the job or understand what’s currently
expected from the person in that position?
For instance, Donna might have been great in the role, but how will you recognize
your next “Donna” when you’re faced with “Mark” or “Alex”? You won’t – unless
you’ve prepared a job description.
To understand the kind of person you’re looking for, you need to outline what you
expect them to contribute to the organization. This helps to clarify the skills and
competencies that you want in a successful candidate.
A good way of doing this is to create a job description that clearly explains the
position’s duties, the specific skills required, and how the position relates to, and
supports, the entire organization.
An effective job description should include the following:
• A position title and to whom it reports.
• A description of the responsibilities and authorities of the position.
• The experience required: work background, technical knowledge, and the
qualifications needed.
• Personal characteristics: education, personality traits, and
interpersonal skills.
• The compensation: the wage or salary, other payment plans, and the
benefits package.

Tip:
Some job descriptions also include an overview of the company, including
information on the company’s history, facilities, and goals.

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Once you’ve identified the key elements of a position, you’ll have a good idea of
what the ideal candidate looks like before you start recruiting.
Remember, good hiring practices mean hiring the right person, first time. No
one wants to go through endless résumés or interviews looking for the right
candidate: by spending time analyzing a position, and understanding your own
expectations, you’ll save time and frustration, and you’re more likely to find your
perfect hire.

Action:
Work through the steps below to begin creating a job description for an
opening in your company.

Start by writing the job title in the box below.

Job Title:

Who does this role report to? Remember to use position titles, not names.

Reports To:

If the position has direct reports (subordinates), list them below.

Responsible For:

Next, identify the purpose of the position, by determining the results expected
from the person, and the key duties that he or she will need to perform to
achieve those results. These should be short phrases that outline the reason the
position exists.

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For example, the job purpose of a training delivery manager might be:

Delivers training programs to the IT industry. (Result.)

By:

Managing the organization’s training school program and staff. (Duties.)

Or the job purpose of a budget analyst might be:

Supports financial decision making. (Result.)

By:

Assembling, interpreting, analyzing, and reconciling data. (Duties.)

Action:
Build on the job description you started on the previous page, by writing the
purpose of the job in the box below.
Ask yourself:
• What is the main reason that the job exists? (The result.)
• What does the person in this role need to do to accomplish that result?
(The key duties.)

Job purpose:

By:

With the purpose and duties defined you can now move onto
specific responsibilities.
This won’t be a step-by-step list of what the person is expected to do every day.
Rather, it’s a guide that outlines the essential job results that are expected.
The next page shows an example of the essential job results section for the
training delivery manager job we started to describe above.

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 Training Delivery Manager
JOB PURPOSE: Delivers training programs for the IT industry.
By:
Managing the organization’s training school program and staff.

ESSENTIAL JOB RESULTS:

• Develop annual CAATS calendar.
By:
Evaluating previous years’ courses; coordinating any recommended changes; monitoring industry
requirements and interests; consulting with the Executive Director and Operations Manager and
Education Committee.
• Schedule course venues.
By:
Evaluating locations; researching new areas; setting dates; booking and reserving facilities as required.
• Supervise training schools registrar and instructors.
By:
Hiring qualified staff; communicating job expectations; providing on-going support and assistance;
monitoring and evaluating performance; coaching, counseling, and disciplining employees; initiating,
coordinating, developing and enforcing systems, policies, and procedures; coordinating training.
• Provide superior customer service.
By:
Reconciling students comments and/or complaints; continuous evaluation of course content,
materials, supplies, etc.; screening Level 2 applicants; timely updating of website content; producing
an annual report on program activities for review by management.
• Achieve financial objectives.
By:
Participating in budget preparation; consulting on course fees; scheduling all program expenditures;
analyzing variances; initiating corrective action.
• Keep management informed.
By:
Liaising with the Executive Director and Education Committee; preparing year-end reports;
maintaining phone and e-mail contact.
• Maintain a safe and healthy work environment.
By:
Following all Association policies and procedures; following organization standards and legal regulations.
• Maintain Organization’s Reputation and Protect Operations.
By:
Professionally representing the organization; keeping information confidential.
• Contribute to the team environment.
By:
Accomplishing related results as needed.

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 Note 1:
This format is one of many job description formats that you could use.
Note 2:
Remember, the job description is not the place for detailed
procedural explanations.

Action:
Building on your work from the earlier exercises, start writing your job
description’s essential results in the boxes below.

Essential Result:
1.

By:

Essential Result:
2.

By:

Essential Result:
3.

By:

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Essential Result:
4.

By:

Essential Result:
5.

By:

Tip 1:
When you’re specifying results and responsibilities, talk to people doing
the job, if you can. They’ll have a good insight into what the responsibilities
actually are, and the competences needed to fulfill them.

Tip 2:
Make sure that the results and responsibilities are mutually consistent. For
example, you might create an impossible job if you try to mix completion of
large, deadline-driven tasks with the responsibility to provide high-quality
customer service.

Tip 3:
An early employee of a fast-growing company may have a diverse and
inconsistent set of responsibilities. Rather than seeking to replace this
varied skill set, you may be better off reorganizing people’s work so that
responsibilities belong together, ideally as a standardized skills package.

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Next, you need to look at the “person description.” This outlines the characteristics
of the person best suited to do the specific tasks of the job. It helps to clarify
the qualifications, skills, experience, and competencies required to fulfill the
job results.
Questions to think about here include:
• What level of education is required to do the job?
• What special certifications or licenses are required, or would help?
• How many years of experience should the person have?
• What competencies are critical?
• Are there any environmental issues involved? (Shift work, outdoors work,
extreme temperatures, tight spaces, and so on.)
• What personal attributes would be considered an asset?

Action:
Use the headings below to identify the personal criteria for your job.

Education:

Skills, Experience, and Other Criteria:

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Competencies:

Assets:

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4.  Recruitment Methods

W
ith your job description complete, it’s now time attract candidates for
the job.
There are many different ways to reach prospective candidates,
and it’s important to consider which method will reach the greatest
number of qualified applicants, in the most cost-effective way.
Common methods include:
•
Internet: job boards, company website, and social media.
•
Print advertising: newspapers, trade magazines, and
professional associations.
• Radio.
• Job fairs.
• Recruitment firms: executive search, recruitment agencies, and
temp services. Tip:
• Referrals: employees, customers. When it comes
• College recruiting. to making your
Each method has its own costs and benefits associated with it, and it’s your recruitment
responsibility to determine which method is most appropriate for you. decision, you want
to be choosing
So, the first step is to choose the right method: the right ad, in the right place, will between, say, three
attract lots of good-quality candidates, whereas the wrong ad, in the wrong place, good candidates,
can leave you with applicants who may not be what you’re looking for. rather than hiring
When choosing the advertising method, it’s important to determine your target the one candidate
“market,” and place your ad accordingly. For instance, some people will tend to who “might be able
favor newspapers with in-depth business and international sections; others will to do the job.”
use industry- or profession-specific websites; while some people will use social To get into this
media websites like LinkedIn to find work. If you’re recruiting individuals in position, you’ll need
specialized fields, trade websites and publications often reach the best audience. to attract a lot of
Because there are so many alternatives available, you need to find out which applicants, and this
methods are the best fit for the position you’re recruiting for. means spending
a reasonable
Creating a Great Job Ad amount of money
on recruitment.
Nowadays, many companies use the Internet to advertise job openings. However,
Try not to “skimp” on
the basic principles behind creating a great job ad are very similar, whether you’re
this - if you do, you’ll
advertising a role in a regional newspaper, on your company’s website, or on a
struggle to find
specialist job site.
good candidates.
The next page gives guidelines to follow for recruitment advertising.

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Balance the Message
You need your ad to appeal to the candidates you want, and screen out the
candidates you don’t.
Consider using qualifiers to help people “self-select.” Phrases like “must have,”
“minimum of,” and “mandatory” will help limit the responses you receive from
unsuitable candidates.

Sell the Position

Your ad should also address the “what’s in it for me?” factor.
This is where you should use your careful analysis of the job description and your
company. You need to highlight the most attractive things that you can offer
potential employees, in exchange for their talent. This helps people decide if
they’re a good fit before applying for the role.

Emphasize Critical Elements

Here, you let candidates know the primary functions of the job. Critical elements
might also include certain computer skills, communication skills, hours,
travel involved, sales skills, and also a salary range. By adding these essential
qualifications, you eliminate many under-qualified candidates.

Use Headlines
The job title is the most common ad headline, but often the least interesting.
A recruitment ad headline should grab the reader’s attention. Consider
alternatives like:
• Are you customer-service focused?
• We’re working overtime to get you here part-time.
• Are YOU our next…?
• You think we’re a great place to shop. . . now think about us as a great place
to work.

Note:
These example headlines all use the word “you” to personalize the message.
This helps the reader think about what’s in it for them.

Make the Message Interesting

You’ll probably have a lot of information to convey to job seekers, but you need to
keep the ad short and interesting enough to keep the reader’s attention.

Use Action Verbs

Action verbs motivate people to act so that, after they read the ad, they will be
more likely to apply for the position.

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For example, don’t simply write, “this is a great opportunity.” Instead, create
excitement by saying, “seize this opportunity.”

Talk to People in Their "Language"

An ad aimed at a registered nurse, for example, probably wouldn’t attract an
IT professional. In both cases, they’re most likely looking for a company that
understands them and can speak their “language.”

Example Job Ad

Would you like to work in

New Zealand?
We’re looking for a qualified Agricultural Diesel
Mechanic to work on a variety of tractors and other
farm equipment.
Someplace, where we’re located, is a great
place to live and work. But don’t take our word
for it – see what people have to say about it at
http://www.destination-nz.co.nz/someplace/. You
can also find out more about our great company at
www.*****.co.nz.
If you’re interested, drop me, Rhona McLean,
a line at this address: xxxxx; Tel: xxxxx; or
email xxxxx

This simple ad attracts diesel mechanics that are specific to agricultural equipment
(a qualifier), and it has an interesting headline.
Because anyone qualified as an agricultural diesel mechanic will likely have the
same essential skills, this ad encourages the reader to visit the company website to
find out more about the location. Interested people will likely visit both websites,
and then self-select; therefore, you’re only likely to receive qualified and genuinely
interested applicants.

Action:
Using the job you described earlier, create an enticing job advertisement that
you could place on a website or in a newspaper. Write this in the box on the
next page.

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Headline:

Body:

Tip:
Word-of-mouth employee referrals are extremely effective methods
of recruitment.
Candidates can learn about a company through an existing employee. They
find out about the company culture, and will have decided that they are a
good fit with the organization before they apply.
The referring employee can also vouch for the candidate’s character, which
is one of the hardest elements to judge in an interview. People also enjoy
working with people they like, and they certainly wouldn’t refer someone that
they, or their co-workers, wouldn’t get along with.

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5.  Interviewing

T
he main reason you conduct employment interviews is to predict a
candidate’s performance. By the end of the interview, you want to know
whether the person in front of you is likely to be able to do the job well.
However, every person has different aptitudes, capabilities, attitudes, and
dispositions. This means that even people with the same skill set will approach
situations differently. They will also have different preferences, and will behave
in different ways. What’s more, even though a person may have the right skills
and knowledge to do the job, they may not be motivated to do it. For this reason,
interviews must go beyond whether the person can do the job – they must
determine whether or not the person will do a good job.
“Behavioral interviewing” is an approach that helps uncover this information. This is
where you ask the person to give specific examples where they have used, or failed to
use, essential key competencies.
For instance, if the ability to make decisions under pressure is essential to the job,
you could ask for a detailed example of a time when the person made a good
decision under pressure. You could also ask her to describe a time when she made a
bad decision, and ask her what she learned from the situation.
Typically, behavioral interview questions start with phrases like:
• Tell me about a time when…
• Describe a situation where…
• Give me an example of…
You can use questions like these to assess the person’s proficiency in key
competencies of the job.
Examples of competencies include:
• Organization. • Delegation.
• Interpersonal skills. • Conflict resolution.
• Teamwork. • Flexibility.
• Creativity.

Tip:
As well as interviews, also consider using others forms of assessment, such as
Inbox/In-Tray Assessment, recruitment tests, and aptitude tests.

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 Action:
Identify three key competencies for the job that you’ve been describing. For
each competency, create two behavioral questions that you can ask to uncover
both a positive and a negative example of the behavior.

Competency #1:
Positive Question:

Negative Question:

Competency #2:
Positive Question:

Negative Question:

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Competency #3:
Positive Question:

Negative Question:

Remember, with behavioral interviewing, the idea is to uncover what a person has
done in the past, and to then use that information to predict how they will behave
in the future.

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6.  Key Learning Points

E
ffective recruitment is important to the success of your team and your
organization. Not only does it make your life easier, but it also allows
everyone to be more productive. When you bring someone new into the
organization, you want to set them up for success. The best way to do that is
to find the right person in the first place.
When you understand the demands of the job and have a clear profile of
the person who is best suited to fill the position, it makes it easier to find the
right person.
If you can combine good planning with effective recruitment advertising and solid
interviewing techniques, you’ll have a recipe for success.
With well-placed and well-written ads you’ll attract the right kind of people to
apply. The higher the quality of the applications, the easier it is for you to find a few
great candidates to interview. From there, using behavioral interview questions,
you’ll be able to find the best person for the job – one whose skills match the
position, and whose personality fits with the team.

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