Hire the best: business owners reveal the secrets of smart recruitment

Recruitment is something of a minefield for employers these days. It’s less about finding an impeccable CV and more about finding someone who fits your company culture and whose skills and attributes will help ensure its success.

Traditional talent acquisition, aiming for someone that 100% fits the role, no longer applies, says Chris Gray, managing director at Manpower UK. “The new model is 80% fit, 20% skills development – otherwise known as ‘teachable fit’,” he says.

With this in mind, do you play it safe and hire the person who’s done a similar role before, or follow your gut instinct and employ the enthusiastic but inexperienced graduate?

When Rob O’Donovan, co-founder and CEO of HR software provider CharlieHR, was hiring for the first time, it was for someone to design the company platform. With their sights set on finding someone with raw talent who was hungry for work, the founders headed to a university show to study the work produced by design graduates.

“One of them really grabbed our attention,” says O’Donovan. “So we got in touch, interviewed him, and were very impressed by his ability to turn complex, and sometimes boring, concepts into engaging, striking and beautiful designs. We also got along very well. Hiring him as the first member of our team was a no-brainer, and he is still with us today. We have had to let graduates go, but I’ll never regret taking a chance on anyone.”

Entrepreneur Abbas Kanani launched online pharmacy Chemist Click on a limited budget, with no seed funding, in a very competitive market. That meant he also had to hire in the most cost-effective way possible – typically people looking for work but with limited experience. Clearly this approach came with risks, but Kanani says they have paid off for his business.

“These are often the people who will work hard to prove their worth, both to me and, more importantly, to themselves,” he says. “Even when we reach a stage where we can increase our recruitment budget, this experience has taught me to give people a chance, as they have proved to be hungry.”

Sara Lou-Ann Jones, founder of online training provider Centre of Excellence, tells business owners to follow their hearts when hiring.

“If someone shows enthusiasm and passion for the position, then in my mind, they’re a better candidate than the person who’s been doing it their whole life without enthusiasm,” she says. “I also look for a positive attitude. Talk about a challenging task: does the candidate perk up at the thought of a new and exciting mission? Or do they withdraw, focused only on their lack of experience or the possibility of failure?”

Nevertheless, Adam White, co-founder and COO of exclusive senior professional network Winter Circle, insists that focusing too much on a specific type of hire can be a mistake.

He advocates striking a balance when hiring: “On the one hand, you have a pool of bright, competent graduates who can learn very quickly, can adapt easily to different roles, and bring a fresh burst of energy, innovation and agility to the team. On the other, the more seasoned hires can be incentivised in the right ways to bring their wealth of corporate expertise into the startup space, as well as mentor and train less experienced employees.”

Given that research has shown diverse workforces to be more productive and creative, hiring strategies need to focus on what each new employee can bring to the business, rather than what mould they need to fit into.

It’s also important to understand the likely long-term personality of staff, not only charting how likely the applicant will be in the role but also how this will change over the course of time. Based on their personality type, a high flyer in year one may not shine as brightly in subsequent years.

At the interview stage, this may mean asking broader questions that reveal a candidate’s problem-solving, critical-thinking and collaboration skills, says David Morel, CEO of Tiger Recruitment. He suggests reversing the interview process so that the candidate meets their line manager first.

“They will be able to tell how the new hire will fit into the team almost immediately, and ask targeted questions relevant to the role requirements,” he says. “They should also be introduced to the wider team and the working environment, which gives them an opportunity to buy into the potential of working for your company.”

Whether you are hiring seasoned staff or inexperienced graduates, a robust interview process will reduce the risk of it going wrong, says Shaun Thomson, CEO of Sandler Training (UK).

“On average, a small business will conduct two interviews before offering a role and then put the successful applicant on a three-month probation,” he says. “However, by rushing the process, the wrong people will enter the workforce and the impact will far outweigh the time that should have been taken in the first place.”

For any role, he advocates conducting a minimum of three interviews, aligned with a strict framework that is adhered to throughout the process, and setting a probation period of six months.

“Most people can hide their true colours for three months if you throw some holiday in,” adds Thomson. “But by six months, you can be absolutely sure that you have a star in the making.”

An enthusiastic graduate can bring much needed energy to an established team, while an experienced executive can ensure delivery of strategic objectives, but as Nick Shaw, managing director of 10x Psychology, points out, if employees’ individual needs are ignored, these positive attributes are likely to wane over time.

He says: “Recruitment teams who anticipate these developments ahead of time will not only hire the right people at the outset, but will also ensure they remain engaged with the business for the long term.”

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