Getting a detailed job brief is critical to the recruitment process. To ensure I know exactly what my clients are looking for, I ask detailed questions to build a picture of the right match and this can often be a 45 minute conversation. It is evident from these conversations that many of the important factors have not been considered and, as a result, answers are quite vague. How can you get the right person for a job, if you don’t know what you are looking for or how to describe the opportunity?
A good job brief should include the following:
- Job outline: Do you have a detailed job description? Can you articulate the challenges of this role? What personality would suit this role? Being successful in a role or business is not just about being able to do the job; it’s also about how well this person would fit into your business in terms of their personality, values, work ethic, areas for development etc.
- Culture and Values: What are your business’s Culture and Values? Can you articulate these? These are important to people when they consider their next role and can really help to sell the opportunity to a potential candidate
- Development opportunities: Can a new employee expect personal and professional development and if so, what does that look like? What would be the expected timing? Candidates like to know there will be room for them to develop further
- Management Style: Outlining this helps a candidate to picture their working environment and start to see how their new manager could assist them with their career goals and the general enjoyment of their role. Leadership outweighs salary for candidates when considering job satisfaction and engagement
- Benefits: It’s competitive out there and good candidates (the ones you want) usually disappear quickly. Consider your selling points and, most importantly, ensure this is experienced by your new employee once they start. Managing expectations up front is paramount but don’t oversell an opportunity. If you can’t deliver on what you promised, disengagement sets in very quickly, resulting in a lack of productivity and motivation
- Stats: Wouldn’t you like to know the current performance levels for a business you were considering working for? This is important information for a candidate and encourages acceptance of an offer. Providing this information presents an open and honest approach and can set you aside from your competitors
Be prepared – know what you are looking for and what success looks like. Happy and engaged employees mean success for your business but this also means managing expectations up front. Ensure what you have positioned is realised by the candidate when they come on board. If not, this could be disastrous and you could be back where you started in a matter of weeks. New hires are at the greatest risk of resignation within the first 3 months; if you have to go back and do it all again, it means loss of productivity, disruption to your existing team and financial implications.
If you would like to discuss your recruitment, please call Natasha on (02) 8021 4206 for an obligation free discussion.
By Tiffany Braidwood
