Filling a vacant role at your company with the right candidate can take a lot of time, money, and resources. In order to find the best person for the job we’ve compiled a list of hiring best practices.
Familiarize yourself with legal regulations. If you’re new to recruitment it’s important to know what you should and shouldn’t do from a legal perspective. In Ontario, the Ontario human rights commission offers helpful information on human rights issues that commonly arise in interviews and when making hiring decisions.
Identify the minimum qualifications (MQs) for the job. In order to effectively vet applications you need to know the MQs. Ask yourself what knowledge, skills or abilities a candidate must have in order to be successful in the role.
Determine your ideal candidate. With the MQs in mind, take some time to understand what you’re looking for: is this an entry level position or is experience at your company essential for candidate's success? A helpful tip: the ideal candidate could be an internal employee with a role that would be easier to fill externally. Keep in mind, promoting internally can have additional benefits such as boosting employee morale and retention through perceived growth opportunities.
Look for customization when reviewing applications. Did the candidate use language from your job posting? Do they show a strong understanding of your industry? Do they mention what unique experience they'd bring to the role? All of these are signals that a candidate is invested in working at your company.
Determine your assessment plan. Interviews are extremely common, but the best way to approach them is with structured questions and scoring. Asking each candidate the same questions helps you effectively compare their answers and ensures discriminatory questions are avoided. There are also more options available to hiring managers than interviews, such as work samples. You can gain helpful insight by giving candidates the opportunity to demonstrate how they would approach a common on-the-job duty.
Making an offer. It’s important to note that verbal offers are legally binding, however, it’s best practice to create a written offer. This ensures you have a document to reference as the terms of the candidate’s employment in future.
Want support with recruitment? At Markle Consulting we can support you through the entire process (like crafting job descriptions, vetting candidates, and helping you negotiate an offer) or coach you through the process. Email us at hello@markleconsulting.ca to start the conversation.
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