UK Employment Law\ Employer \ Recruitment
Recruiting employees
Providing an outline job description
The purpose of setting out exactly what is expected of a prospective employee is to let the employer clarify the targets that need to be achieved and the skills and experience needed to achieve them. Essentially it is a way of accounting for the various facets of the role on offer.
It should cover the following:
- job title;
- who is the line manager;
- where the place of work is;
- what the job entails;
- what duties and responsibilities will be fulfilled;
- the hours of work;
- remuneration.
The above not only benefits the employer in the appraisal process, but employees can also get a better idea of what is expected of them. Publishing the description to prospective candidates can reduce the number of unsuitable applicants, and thereby the workload in assessing them.
Another benefit is in the planning process as a company expands. Job descriptions can be added to a portfolio, cataloguing every position within the organisation. Such a portfolio, highlighting tasks, can prevent any cross-over in responsibilities.
Interviews
The idea of the application process is to short-list candidates for a job interview. Therefore, you will want to gain the right information.
It may be necessary to plan the interviews beforehand and set some sort of formula for assessing which candidates are at the top of the list. Some companies decide on a point system for the quality of responses. You could also set a short test. For example, if the job is a post which needs good communication skills, you may wish to ask them to write a letter to someone, based on some pre-arranged pieces of information.
The application form usually provides you with many things to ask candidates about. There may have been on a series of courses which are relevant to your business. Good questions can be asked that give applicants the chance to show how they would actually apply that training.
How to select and interview.
It is a good idea to set selection criteria and ability tests. These allow the employer to ascertain whether someone can actually carry out the tasks as specified on a job description. It also highlights whether the candidate has the ability to take on training and develop within the role. Key tip: make sure all the qualifications that you insist on are actually relevant and regularly revisit them to make sure they are lawful and not discriminatory.
The next stage is to shortlist people who you wish to invite for interview. Letters of invitation should be sent out, followed by letters informing unsuccessful applicants.
Another way of doing this is to inform applicants that if they have not heard back within a month of the published closing date, then they have been unsuccessful.
