Great Hires – 10 Steps to Guide You

Hiring the right staff is critical!
A great hire can help make your business hum, a poor hire can be catastrophic for your business. Our 10 steps to a great hire can help you reduce the chances of a poor hire and if you need a little help then give us a call.

1.      Be prepared!
It will happen to you someday, so think about how you will go about recruiting new staff. Will you do it yourself, or will you use a professional recruitment company?

2.     Don’t take shortcuts
Make a list of attributes and skills that you need and then look for the person to fill the role. Don’t hire Aunt Susan just because she is looking for a job and it solves your short-term gap!

3.     Get the job advert right
If you want to attract the best person, you have to sell your company and the role. What makes your company the one that an applicant wants to join?

4.     Advertise legal
Ensure your job advert is legal and doesn’t breach any human rights laws.

5.     Choose candidates who follow advert instructions
If you have asked for a cover letter or portfolio of work, then only progress candidates who have included these items.

6.     Check the basics
Cover off the important things (e.g. is the candidate allowed to work in New Zealand?)

7.     Interview as many candidates as you need to
There is no magic number for how many candidates to interview. If you have only one good candidate then just interview that one person.

8.     Don’t hire if no-one is suitable
Don’t hire second-best. Don’t be afraid to go back to the market and re-advertise.

9.    Check references before hiring
Always check references, even if you think you have the “perfect” candidate, and ensure you qualify the referee’s relationship to the candidate.

10.   Respond to all applicants
Even a short email to say that they are unsuccessful is useful to a candidate. Job seeking can be tough!