The process of employing new staff members can be long, tedious and expensive – and that’s if you manage to select the right candidate for your business. If you pick a candidate that doesn’t commit to 12 months in your business – or one that stays but doesn’t have the right functional capabilities, engagement or attitude, the impact can be far worse.

So what processes should you put in place to help you find the right candidate for the job? In a blog by Harver, a company who develops candidate selection software, 7 different selection measures are recommended to follow in order to increase your success at selecting the right employee.

Here are our top tips for effective candidate selection:

• Create a thorough candidate selection process

A candidate selection process needs to be more thorough than just shortlisting a range of suitably qualified candidates and interviewing them. What are the functional capabilities of the role? What are the emotional capabilities? What experience does the candidate need to have? What measures are there to demonstrate these experiences? What skill areas need to be assessed and which don’t? What types of personalities are a best fit for your team and are their personal values aligned to the team culture?

Harver devised a useful guide to developing the right process for the role you are recruiting for.  Some key tips are:

• Look for someone with commitment to their career

Someone who switches jobs frequently for a higher salary or due to dissatisfaction is unlikely to go the distance in your business. Look for someone who stays with a company for a minimum 2 year period unless there are reasonable explanations (such as travel, family etc).

• Communicate

Many a recruiter will have an example of when a prime candidate slipped through their fingers and accepted another offer. While rigorous recruitment processes are an important process in selecting the right person for your business, it’s essential to communicate effectively with candidates so that they understand the steps involved in the process and they’re not ‘forgotten’ due to internal activities. Ensure that your candidates are aware of the processes in the entire recruitment process, including any work examples they are required to provide or any assessments they need to take.

• Learn from your mistakes

One of our clients hired a promising candidate who had a criminal record, another client hired an employee who caused major issues and in-fighting in their team. If you have ever hired someone who hasn’t worked out, make sure that you feed that intelligence back into your recruitment processes. A culture of constant improvement in your business should also apply to your recruitment process.

If your business requires recruitment support, why not try our Recruitment Process Outsourcing model, where you can outsource one or many parts of the recruitment process.