Over the past few weeks we have looked at everything that you need to do to prepare to engage workers. Now its time to start recruiting them. We need to look at the process of recruitment so you can set everything up correctly and so you can stay ATO compliant.
Job Description
A job description helps you define the role your new staff member will have. It also helps you to get a clear understanding of the job you want filled and the tasks you need completed.
You need to think about the following:
- What will they be responsible for
- What tasks will they need to undertake
- What skills and abilities they will be required to perform
- What previous experience and qualifications they will need to have
- What level of authority they will hold?
Then you need to decide on the type of employment that the job needs, this is whether the job is full-time, part-time, casual etc.
To get a better understanding of this you can go to my previous blog – Preparing to Engage Workers – Employment Types
You should also determine the following:
- The number of hours needed to do the job
- How long the job will be (ongoing or just for a period of time)
- Whether the employee will be a junior, apprentice, trainee or adult
There are a few good Job Description Templates that I have linked to below so that you can have a starting point for your job description.
Job Description Template – Fair Work
Simple Job Description Template – Business Victoria
Detailed Job Description Template – Business Victoria
Once you have completed the job description, have someone who is independent review it to see if it is clear and the potential employees will be able to understand it.
Job Advertisement
There are many different ways to advertise for your new employee. You need to consider what type of advertising will attract the best candidates for the position. Where do these people ‘hang out’?
These places could include:
- Online job advertising sites like Seek
- Local and State Newspapers
- Industry Newspapers/Reports
- Facebook job groups
- Your office/shop window
- Your family, friends, colleagues
- Recruitment Agencies
- Your own website
Once you have decided where the best place to advertise is, you then need to write your advertisement. This may need to have several different styles if you are advertising on several different platforms.
Things you should cover are:
- Benefits of the position
- Brief description of your business
- Opportunities offered for successful candidates
- Access to additional information or further enquires
- Location
- Name of person potential candidates should contact with questions
There are a few good Job Advertisement Templates that I have linked to below so that you can have a starting point for your job description.
Job Advertisement Template – Fair Work
Job Ad for Print – Business Victoria
Online Job Ad – Business Victoria
Reviewing Applicants
Once you have advertised you will start receiving applications. This is when you need to have a clear understanding of the position so that you can short list all the applications. The best process of creating a short list is to review all the job applications that you receive by using a Selection Criteria Template.
The template helps you be objective when you are reviewing the applications. It should include things like:
- Does this person have the skills to perform well in this job?
- List each skill you want them to have
- Does this person have the qualifications to perform well in this job?
- List each qualification you want them to have
Using your Selection Criteria, you can easily see who has and hasn’t got the skills, who has and hasn’t got the qualifications and anything else you are looking at. Then everyone who doesn’t have everything you are looking for doesn’t get short listed.
The template can look a bit like this:
| Selection Factor | (insert candidate name) | (insert candidate name) | (insert candidate name) |
| 1. (e.g. good communication skills) | |||
| 2. | |||
| 3. | |||
| 4. | |||
| 5. | |||
| 6. | |||
| 7. | |||
| 8. | |||
| 9. | |||
| 10. |
Telephone Screening
Once you have created your shortlist using the selection criteria method above you then need to telephone screen the applicants that are on your shortlist. This enables you to shorten your list even further.
A few things that you need to remember when telephone screening are:
- schedule appointments with your shortlisted applicants
- don’t conduct on-the-spot interviews
- each telephone interview should take between 10 and 20 minutes
Create a template that you can use for each applicant. That way you have the answers in writing so after the interview you can remember what each applicant said to you.
Examples of questions are:
- What attracted you to apply for this position?
- What skills, knowledge and experience can you bring to this job?
- Where are you looking to head in your career?
- What are you looking to achieve in this job?
- What are your strengths & areas for development?
- What is the reason you wish to leave or left your current/last employer?
- Any other questions you may seem relevant
- You may also want to find out the following
- Salary expectation
- Availability for interview
- Working rights in Australia – Citizen Permanent Resident – Visa
- Currently employed?
I have found a really good template on this from Fair Work Australia, you can download it HERE.
In-person Interviews
Once you have finished your Telephone Screening you will then be able to reduce your shortlist even further. Once you have done this you will then need to contact the candidates who are on the new shortlist and arrange for them to come to you for an in-person interview.
Prepare yourself for the interview. Make sure you create a professional impression of yourself and your company.
You also need to make sure you are familiar with anti-discrimination legislation, including the General Protections legislation of the Fair Work ACT 2009. This covers adverse action against prospective employees, national privacy policy and sexual harassment legislation.
Then you have to prepare the questions that you are going to ask in the interview.
- Make sure that you ask each candidate the same core questions, this way you will be able to compare them easier
- Ask the candidate to give examples of past experience, this will give you a better idea of what they will do in the future.
- Try and ask open ended questions, this helps you get more detail and insight. Use things like why, who, where, how, what, when and tell questions.
- Make sure the questions that are asked test the competencies that you need in the job e.g. Team work, customer service, management
When asking the questions make sure you make the candidate feel welcome and relaxed, give them an overview of your company and the reason the position is available.
Here is a great example of some questions you may want to ask the candidate, but remember to personalise them and add more focused ones around your business – Interview Template – Business Victoria
Reference Checking
Most people will supply names of referees in their resume, but it is import to at this stage ask again for details of referees that you can contact for a reference.
It is important to get the applicant’s previous manager/supervisor if you can, but you need to understand that if they have not advised their current employer they are leaving then it may not be possible for them to supply these details.
You only need to check references once you are down to the last 2 candidates and you should always get permission to contact the candidate’s referees.
Like the telephone screening and in-person interviews, you should have pre written reference checking questions.
- Look at the interview and telephone screening call you just had, are there any particular things that they said that you want to verify?
- You need to ask general questions, job specific questions, competency questions
I have found two really good reference checking templates.
Reference Checking Form – Fair Work
Reference Check Template – Business Victoria
You have just completed the Recruiting part of Engaging Workers. If you have any questions about this or any other part of the HR/payroll blogs that I have written recently please email, or contact me on Facebook or Twitter.
