Recruitment

Finding the perfect staff for the specific needs of your practice requires forethought and advance planning. Bernadette Beach takes us through the steps necessary for success.

The Right Stuff

If you’ve ever employed staff members who seemed great at the interview stage but under-performed in the job, didn’t quite fit into the team environment or had below par work values, it’s likely your recruitment process is in need of an overhaul.

The fact is that your staff are ambassadors for your business, and while some team members will excel and assist in promoting excellent customer service, staff who perform poorly can actually be detrimental to the reputation of your practice.

The recruitment of staff is a time consuming exercise, and employing the wrong people can prove costly and disruptive to your team environment, and practice image. Having an effective recruitment process in place will enable you to select the right people for your needs, thus providing long-term staff solutions.

Step by step

An effective recruitment process consists of the following stages:

1. Preparation
   • Clearly define what you need and establish the criteria, i.e. the position, skills and knowledge required, salary, personality fit and how the role fits into the practice
   • Create a Position Description that clearly outlines all tasks, responsibilities and performance outcomes
   • Prepare a detailed job advertisement to be placed on Internet employment sites. Brief advertisements won’t provide the adequate information necessary to attract serious candidates. Keep in mind that your ad should market both the job opportunity and your practice
   • Prepare interview questions that cover:
     1. Career history, previous skills and knowledge relevant to the role
     2. Job fulfilment, interaction with people
     3. Core competencies, i.e. standards, customer service, problem solving, time management, initiative, coping with stress, communication skills and managing performance
2. Prior to the Interview
   • Read through the résumés and familiarise yourself with each candidate
   • Take note of any specific questions you have for each candidate
   • Have your template of interview questions ready
   • When scheduling interviews, make sure you have adequate time with each candidate to thoroughly assess suitability
3. At the Interview
   • Introduce yourself and the practice to the candidate
   • Observe the candidate’s presentation, communication skills and body language
   • Follow prepared interview questions
   • Provide candidate with an overview of the practice and a copy of the Position Description
   • Give the candidate the opportunity to ask questions
4. After the Interview
   • Review résumés and interview notes, then shortlist all candidates that fit your criteria
   • Conduct thorough reference checks on all candidates. Ensure the referee has an understanding of the role being applied for and that your questions cover:
     1. Previous job performance
     2. All duties covered by the role
     3. Strengths/weaknesses
     4. Interaction with staff/management
     5. Communication skills
     6. Attention to detail and computer skills
     7. Reliability, punctuality, honesty and integrity
     8. Work values and ethics
     9. Stress management and ability to take direction
     10. Whether they would re-hire the candidate
   • Conduct skills testing
   • Negotiate salary with successful candidate
   • Prepare Employment Contract
   • Advise unsuccessful candidates – this courteous act sends the right message about your practice