Finding and hiring staff

Assess your current staffing situation before you begin recruiting. Have a clear idea of:

• the type of person you're looking for
• what you hope they'll add to your business.

What are your existing hiring needs? Maybe an employee just left, or a new position just opened up. Once you identify the role/s and gaps that exist in your current workforce, you can then outline the job specifications such as skills, knowledge and experience.

To determine your hiring needs, consider:

• your current needs – check for gaps in performance, skills or experiences that you need to fill
• your business plan and workforce plans
• sudden increases or decreases in workload
• employees who may be leaving the company soon.

Also think about what employment types might work best for your business, for example:

• short-term, long-term or permanent
• full-time, part-time or casual
• traineeships or apprenticeships
• contractors or temporary employees (possibly through an employment agency).

If your business is considering offering work experience or internships learn more through the Fair Work Ombudsman.

To find the right candidate, it's essential to understand what the role needs and to prepare a clear position description.

Download the position description template

Position description template

Because every business has unique staffing needs, it's better to create your own position descriptions rather copy exisiting ones from other sources.

You can use our position description template to help you develop your next position description.

A good position description will:

• give you a clear idea of the type of person you're looking for
• help you work out what skills and knowledge you need for the role
• identify what the new staff member will be expected to do
• help candidates understand the tasks and responsibilities of the position
• give an indication of where the role fits within your business
• give you a standard reference when conducting performance reviews.

They can also help you to:

• determine the physical requirements of the role
• decide what the pay rate and employment status (full time, part time, casual) for the position should be.

A position description should include the:

• position title
• purpose of the position
• responsibilities of the position
• working relationships – who the role reports to and if any employees report to this role
• key capabilities – the essential and desirable selection criteria, including skills, knowledge, experience and education.

The purpose of selection criteria is to help you make objective decisions about who the best candidates for a position will be. Selection criteria can also make selection decisions transparent and easy to explain.

Selection criteria are based on your position description. They describe what is needed to do the job effectively. This can include specific:

• qualifications
• training
• abilities
• knowledge
• personal attributes
• skills
• experience.

Selection criteria create the foundation for the entire recruitment and selection process. They form the basis for:

• deciding who to include on a shortlist
• what interview questions to ask or what other assessment tools to use
• what to ask during reference checks
• evaluating and comparing candidates.

Selection criteria will vary from position to position. It's important that everyone involved in the recruitment process focus on the same 4 or 5 selection criteria.

Job advertisements are a reflection of your business and give candidates their first impression of your business. A clear, well-written and well-placed job advertisement will attract the best candidates.

Be honest and realistic about the role and your business. An employee who starts with unrealistic expectations could become unsatisfied and resign early.

Prepare your job advertisement

The advertisement should be concise but still include the essential information to help jobseekers decide if they want to apply.

Include key elements jobseekers are looking for, such as:

• salary range
• company name and company website address
• location
• a summary of the role and key responsibilities
• the selection criteria – skills, experience and knowledge needed for the role
• benefits and opportunities for the successful candidate
• closing date for applications
• a start date for the role
• details of a contact person (phone or email)
• instructions on how to apply – including whether you want a resume, application form, work samples or responses to selection criteria.

Choose a channel for your job advertisement

When deciding where to place your job advertisement consider:

• the role you're advertising
• the best way to get attention for your advertisement
• where the types of applicants you want to attract are likely to be looking.

If you're:

• looking for a casual employee, you may only need to put a sign in your window or advertise on a community noticeboard
• recruiting for a manager, you'll probably want to advertise on a job website or in the newspaper.

Jobseekers may use many different channels over the job search process. You could consider advertising a job:

• on job websites
• through social media networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn
• in the recruitment section of a newspaper
• in trade journals
• in business or industry association newsletters or websites
• on your business website
• through direct mail to your networks
• by word of mouth at networking events
• on university job boards.

After the closing date listed in your job advertisement has passed, you can now evaluate all the applications. (Remember to take down all your advertisements.)

Each application will be different, but you can create a standard evaluation form to make the process consistent:

1. Use the selection criteria for the position as a rating tool. List the selection criteria down the left-hand column of a spreadsheet.
2. Add each candidates' name to the top of the columns that follow – 1 name per column.
3. Assess and give each candidate a score for each selection criteria, for example, a score from 1 to 5.
4. Add the scores for each candidate to get an indication of which candidates best meet your selection criteria and should be shortlisted.

How many candidates you choose to shortlist will depend on the quality of the applications and how many you have time to interview. Make sure the candidates you choose to interview:

• have the right qualifications, skills and experience
• align with your business, staff and culture
• have goals that match your requirements
• are legally allowed to work in Australia.

If you have any concerns or questions about a candidate's application, make a note so you can clarify it during the interview.

It's good practice, and good for your company's reputation, to send candidates who have not been shortlisted an email or letter to thank them for applying and to let them know that their application was not successful.

An interview is your chance to ask questions that will help you decide if the candidate is:

• really suited to your business
• qualified for the job.

A good interview can decrease the chances of making a poor recruitment decision, but it takes skill and preparation to get enough information about a candidate's personality, skills and abilities during this brief and usually high-pressured interaction.

The interview is also the first notable interaction your potential new employee will have with you and your business. First impressions are important – they can set the tone for an employee's experience with your business.

Inviting candidates to interview

Once you've reviewed all the applications for the job, you can invite your shortlisted candidates for an interview.

Decide how you'll run the interview, for example:

• by phone or video call
• in person, or
• give the candidate the option to choose the format.

If you're interviewing candidates in person, ask them to confirm they will be attending. Give them all the details about the interview, including:

• when and where the interview will take place
• how long the interview will take
• who they should ask for when they arrive
• what documents they should bring, for example, samples of their work or certificates
• the names and job titles of the people conducting the interview
• what the interview will involve, for example, a test or a presentation.

Preparing for interviews

These 4 steps will help you get the most out of an interview:

1. Familiarise yourself with the:
   • candidates' applications
   • job description
   • selection criteria.
2. Prepare your questions (see information below)
3. If you're conducting the interview with other colleagues:
   • decide who will ask which questions
   • prepare a standard evaluation form for yourself and the other interviewers to help ensure each interviewer's approach to capturing information is consistent — this will help you avoid bias
   • ensure everyone involved is informed of the interview schedule and other details.

4. During your preparation for the interview, try not to form any preconceived ideas or opinions about the candidate's suitability for the role.

What questions to ask

Think about what you want to know about the candidates that is relevant to the role and perhaps not captured in their applications.

The best interview questions are:

• based on your selection criteria
• open-ended.

Open-ended questions:

• give the candidate the opportunity to talk about their previous experience and provide workplace examples. This is different from closed-ended questions that require only brief responses
• can provide a sense of a candidate's potential and whether the person would be a cultural fit.

Ask each candidate the same questions to keep the process fair.

What questions to avoid

It's important to understand equal employment opportunity (EEO) and anti-discrimination legislation when interviewing potential candidates. It is illegal to ask unnecessary personal questions that may lead to discrimination. You may only ask personal questions for very specific and reasonable purposes and you must be able to show why you need the information.

Conducting interviews

When you interview candidates:

• try to create a friendly and relaxed environment
• conduct the interview in an area that is free from interruptions
• remember that interviews can be stressful and you'll get more useful information from candidates if you put them at ease.

Start by:

• introducing yourself and the other people present
• explain how the interview will be run
• outlining the role and how it fits into the company.

You could also:

• explain the business culture
• describe the team and what the employee can expect if they join the team
• point out what your employees like about working for the business
• tell them what you love about the business.

During the interview:

• encourage the candidate to talk about their skills, knowledge and experience
• focus on what you want to achieve in the interview and try not to get side-tracked
• try not to interrupt the candidate but prompt them if you want more information
• all candidates should be prompted in the same way if you're asking the same questions
• take notes so you can refer to them later when evaluating interviewees.

At the end of the interview:

• ask the candidate if they have any questions
• tell them what the next steps will be – for example, a reference check, another round of interviews or a test, or when you think you will make a decision
• thank them for their time.

Review your notes immediately after each interview. You might need to expand on points, summarise answers and record facts. After you've conducted all the interviews, use your notes and the job applications to help you decide who to reference check and potentially offer the job.

Remember, sometimes the best candidate may not be the best at being interviewed.

It's very important to check references before making an offer of employment. It provides independent insight into a candidate's past work performance and cultural fit.

A resume or CV is a marketing tool. It's designed to create an enhanced image. Resumes can:

• leave out important information
• have false information
• embellish duties or accomplishments
• hide history gaps.

There are many candidates who have excellent resumes and perform well in interviews, but the impression of them may be one-sided.

Reference checks provide valuable information on:

• past work performance
• whether a candidate's claims about qualifications, experience and previous positions are true
• their strengths, weaknesses and work habits
• the reasons for leaving their previous employment
• their ability to work with others.

When checking references:

• make sure you're aware of the legal requirements (see information below)
• make sure you have the applicant's consent to contact the referees they provided and only use referees the candidate provided
• check the references by phone
• check at least 2 references to avoid basing your decision on a biased evaluation.

While it's not a legal requirement, it's good to inform the candidate that you're doing a reference check.

Remember, reference checks should not make the decision for you:

• they should confirm the details provided by candidates and decision you have already made
• there should be no surprises if you've done the interviewing well.

If there are surprises, you'll have to get more information to either confirm your original decision or back up the reference check.

Download the reference check template

Reference check template

Use our reference check template to guide you through the reference-checking process. You can change it to fit the specific role and circumstances.

Before making an offer, make sure that you have reviewed all the information you've collected in applications, interviews, tests and reference checks.

There's always a chance that your preferred candidate might not accept the role. Be prepared to extend the offer to the second best or third best candidate, but only if they are right for the role.

In some cases, you may need to go back and start the recruitment process again.

When you have decided on the successful candidate, phone them as soon as possible to offer them the job and check that they will accept.

Advising unsuccessful candidates

Once the candidate has accepted the job, contact the unsuccessful candidates you also interviewed. It's good form to:

• advise them as soon as you have acceptance from the successful candidate
• tell them clearly at the start of the conversation that they were unsuccessful
• give them any positive feedback
• thank them for their time
• continue to act professionally and leave them with a good impression – you might want to hire them in future
• meet face to face with internal applicants, where possible, and give them as much constructive feedback as possible.