Recruiting? What's on Offer?
Recruitment is a two-way process. It’s not just about finding the right candidate, but also about persuading them that they should want to come and work for you.
We are all motivated by different things. Most people would agree that salary and benefits should be competitive, but jobs are about more than just money. Here are five areas that will really matter to some recruits. Are you clear what you have to offer?
Hours of work – are these fixed? Flexible? Shift patterns? Is overtime available? Compulsory? Do you finish early on a Friday, or require weekend working? Are start times rigidly enforced or reasonably flexible? Will you expect employees to take work home? It’s best to be completely open about your true working hours culture – if your advert says “occasional weekend working” when the reality is working 3 weekends out of 4 then don’t be surprised if your new recruit doesn’t last very long. Hours matter – many people have to organise their lives around their work so be clear what is expected from the outset and those who can’t comply will rule themselves out.
Travel – how far? How often? Will overnight stays be required and how frequently (honestly) will these occur? Who provides the vehicle, you or the employee? How are expenses reimbursed – does the employee pay and claim back, or do you pay up front?
Flexibility – in the last post we talked about understanding how the applicant defines flexibility, but it’s important to think about what you require of your employees. Does flexibility mean variable working hours, multi-tasking, covering other roles, answering calls and e-mails out of hours, being on-call, covering absences or having rotas changed with no notice? Are you flexible back in return?
Training – What exactly do you mean by “full training will be given”? What, realistically, are the chances of an employee being able to ask for, and receive, job-related training beyond any mandatory requirements? How do you deal with requests for training?
Culture – What kind of organisation are you? Forget, for a minute, what you would like to be – what is the reality of working for you? Do you care about your people or are they there simply to do a job for you? Do you innovate and constantly seek ways to improve work, or are you more traditional, with tried and tested ways of working that have served you well? Do you welcome ideas and challenges from your staff, or prefer to keep some distance between you and them?
“Fit” matters more than virtually anything else when you are recruiting. It’s not just about whether the employee will get on with their colleagues, but also about whether they will be happy with the nature of the working relationship you are offering. You may be worried that the truth will put applicants off – but you are more likely to attract people who would enjoy working for you and be more likely to stay longer.
Be clear on your offer, and those who will be motivated by it will find you!
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