10 Tips to Attract the Right Candidate

1. Develop a proper job  description
   The job description is often overlooked in many cases, this is bad  practice because candidates' decision to apply will be based solely  on the responsibilities and how the position is communicated. If  the job description is too vague, it will fail to attract the right  caliber of candidates. Also, careful attention should be paid for  the job title, keeping it simple is better so use something which  describes the role i.e. 'Cleaner' rather than 'hygiene  technician'.
    
2. Select the interviewing team  properly
   A set of experienced employers should be involved in the  interviewing and decision making however it can also help to  involve the people who will actually be working with the selected  candidate. Current employees who serve in a similar or the same  position will be able to relate to the candidate and encouraging  them to make decisions on his/her compatibility will help them to  feel more motivated and involved.
      
3. Prepare fully for the  interview
   Proper interview style should be determined here and the relevant  criteria and questions should be prepared ahead of time. Vital  aspects such as the interview structure and good communication are  essential at this stage to avoid discrimination. The interview  questions should be based on the job requirements and should not  discriminate on grounds of sex or race. See our interviewing  article for more.    
      
      
4. Conduct a professional  interview
   Many interview strategies are available. The 70/30 rule should  apply here. You should try to ensure that the candidate talks  during 70% of the interview and the interviewer talks for only 30%  of the time. See our interviewing guide for a detailed explanation  of how to properly conduct a competency based interview.
      
5. Fully explain the job
   Should the candidates idea of the job not match the reality of  what the job actually involves, it is highly likely that they will  leave soon after being employed. This is a disaster because it  means you have to begin the entire recruitment process again. Be  careful to fully explain the job to the candidates during the  interview and check to see if they have understood. Remember  interviewing is not just about selecting excellent people, it's  also about making sure those people really want to do the job.
        
6. Communicate often
   Make sure you are communicative with all applicants throughout the  process. Feedback should be given as soon as possible. Inform the  candidates who are selected as well as those who have not been  successful. Recognise that when someone applies for a job with you  they are also often forming their first impression of interacting  with your company.
      
7. Select a wide pool of shortlisted  candidates
   Be wary of shortlisting too harshly and only ending up with only  one or two candidates to interview. Provided you have implemented a  broad advertising campaign (click here to learn how), you should  always have at least three candidates for the final interview. This  will make sure that if you lose your top candidate, you will always  have another two or more who are also good choices.    
      
8. Undertake a structured  induction    
   Having selected the best candidate, you should give him/her a  detailed induction to give them enough information to become  productive. Do not expect new starters to immediately become good  performers, on average it will take 90 days for them to become  fully effective.
      
9. Start on a probation  period
   The employee should be given the chance to start the work under a  probation period. This will help the line manager to further test  the skills and the talents expressed by the employee at interview  and will give both parties an easy way out should the new hire fail  to deliver in the expected way. Probation periods vary in length  but are usually around 6 months. You may want to start employees on  a slightly lower rate of pay or hold off giving full employee  benefits until they have passed their probation.
      
      
10. Follow up
    Once the employee has accepted the position, follow up promptly  with the required paperwork (contracts, forms etc). When following  up, it's important to make sure that any potentially contentious  issues are discussed during the last stage interviews so that there  are no unexpected surprises for the candidate. Salary, probation  periods, benefits etc, should all have been discussed throughout  the recruitment process.