Recruiting and retaining the best

Top tips from HR specialist and founder of The HR Playbook, Amy Blick FCIPD

As a small business, your people are the foundation for long term success. It makes sense therefore to invest time and a little money into building an optimum recruitment and onboarding process. The days are long gone when posting a vaguely worded advert and giving a recruit your staff handbook as their induction training was enough. Today, if you want to attract the best people you must go the extra mile. The good news is, it’s not that difficult. Here are my top tips…

The recruitment process

Focus on being efficient and delivering a great experience for candidates so they can shine.

Define clear job responsibilities and expectations

This ensures that candidates understand what is required and it enables you to assess their suitability accurately. A detailed job description helps attract candidates who are the right fit for the role and reduces the likelihood of mismatched hires.

Use online channels for your recruitment

Cast a wide net when searching for talent by using online and face to face recruitment channels and you won’t have to rely on a recruitment agency. This includes job boards, social media platforms, industry-specific websites, networking events, and employee referrals. Each channel attracts a different pool of candidates making it more likely you will find the right person without having to spend months on the task.

Prioritise culture and behavioural fit

While technical skills are of course crucial if you’re hiring a technician prioritising cultural fit and soft skills during the hiring process is key to finding the best talent for your business. Look for candidates who share your company values, demonstrate adaptability, possess good communication skills, understand the importance of teamwork and that demonstrate a willingness to learn. Employees who align with your company culture are more likely to be engaged, productive, and committed to the success of your business.

Onboarding

Now you have hired your new talent, it’s time to get their onboarding right.

A personalised welcome

Tailor the onboarding process to each new hire, ensuring they feel valued and integrated from day one. This could include assigning a mentor, providing a New Starter welcome kit, arranging a meet-and-greet with team members and posting a welcome message with photos on your social channels. At the end of the first few days make time to sit down and let them talk freely so you can nip potential problems in the bud and find out what you’re doing right!

Clear expectations

Set clear expectations and goals for the new hire, outlining their role, responsibilities, and how their work contributes to the overall success of the business. This helps them hit the ground running and it fosters a sense of purpose. It also eliminates confusion and misunderstanding.

Continuous support and feedback

Provide support and feedback throughout the onboarding period and beyond. Regular check-ins, constructive feedback sessions, and opportunities for skills development will help your new hires feel supported and, motivated to excel in their roles.

Hiring the wrong person has severe repercussions in terms of recruitment expenses, training, and lost productivity. Investing in finding and retaining the right talent upfront will save money and it will ensure you keep those talented team members.

The HR Playbook

Amy is the cofounder of The HR Playbook where you can download essential, up to date and compliant HR documents and templates at a fraction of the usual cost. Autotechnician readers benefit from a 10% discount by quoting AUTOTECH10 at checkout.

Essential Policies for Workshops: https://thehrplaybook. co.uk/product/essential-policies-for-smes/ Recruitment Suite: https://thehrplaybook.co.uk/product/ recruitment-suite/

A bundle of documents to enable your business to attract and retain top talent through streamlined recruitment templates.

In this suite, you will receive:

Job Advert Template

Job Description Template

Recruitment Authorisation Form

Onboarding Suite: https://thehrplaybook.co.uk/product/ onboarding-suite/

Efficiently integrate new hires with our comprehensive suite of onboarding documentation.

In this suite, you will receive:

Application Form

Employee Privacy Notice

Induction Checklist Apprentice

Induction Checklist Employee

Induction Plan

New Employee Information (Employer)

Offer Email Template

Onboarding Form

Post Offer Health Questionnaire

Right to Live and Work Checks

Two Weeks at a Glance

Theses Suites will:

Create essential frameworks for recruitment and onboarding

Drive consistency of recruitment and onboarding across the business

Upskill Leaders and Managers to confidently recruit and onboarding new team members

Build a driven culture of talent management and transparent success

Create well-rounded and comprehensive employee experience

Ideal for:

SMEs with between 5 to 250 employees

Organisations that want ensure compliant and legislative minimums are met

Leaders that need reassurance a consistent performance management framework is embedded throughout the business

Organisations that want to embed a high-performance culture

Message Amy if you would like to have a recruitment power hour - an online one-to-one packed with top tips and strategies for your business. Amy@exhilirate.co.uk