Welcome to Sure Personnel

1. Not understanding the nature and requirements of the job
2. Placing too much emphasis on academic qualifications
3. Using a test as a pass or fail or as the only basis on which to select someone
4. Over-reliance on interviewing
5. Not conducting background checks and other pre-employment screening methods.

Recruit with Confidence
It is vitally important to take the time and implement pre–employment screening as it will boost your recruiting effectiveness, improve your retention rates and therefore cut employee turnover.

RISK–PROOFING YOUR RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN
You should first intensively scope the role. Look at the nature of the job, the environment and the requirements for that role. This will determine the advertising content to be placed, how you should interview the candidates, what you should be looking out for, and the type of checks that will need to be made before any employment contracts are offered.

You should always look closely at the candidates′ credentials and ensure that they have the qualifications they claim they have.
You should also:

Check employment history,

Verify references thoroughly,

Ensure they have the right Visa to work in Australia,

Conduct background checks,

Consider using psychometric testing to gauge candidate "fit" into your organisation; and

Conduct thorough and structured interviews.

Interviewing tips
No matter who you are, or the industry you′re in, everyone struggles with finding and hiring top talent. That’s why we are here and how we can help you.

Below are some handy hints to assist you in being a better interviewer.

Make it private and relaxed. Ensure that the interview environment is private and there are no interruptions. Arrange the seating in an informal way. Don′t sit behind a desk directly facing the candidate. Sit around a coffee table or meeting room table.

Be punctual. Remember that the candidate’s time is as valuable as yours. The individual candidate will be assessing your ability as a manager, so it’s critical that you respect the candidate’s time and deliver to them a good impression of yourself and your company.

Be prepared. Make sure that you have a detailed knowledge of the position that you are recruiting for. Don’t just read the job description; talk to those people who best understand the position. Make a list of the most important competencies, responsibilities and skills.

Be structured. You should make notes of the questions you intend to ask, otherwise you′ll forget. Use the same interview structure and similar questions for every candidate you interview. If you don’t do this, it will be very hard to compare candidates.

Be friendly. Put the candidate at ease. Building rapport with your candidate from the beginning is vital. The candidates need to be relaxed with you and the environment so that you get the most out of them at the interview. Talk about things that have no direct relationship to the job – the weather, the candidate’s interests, hobbies and sports, holidays and weekends.

Be careful. Don't ask illegal questions. A plethora of court rulings, legislation and regulations have combined to produce a confusing and frequently changing list of what you can and can't ask in interview. A rule of thumb is to avoid the ‘fatal five’ areas of marital circumstances, age, disabilities, gender/physical appearance and citizenship/national origin.

Be open mined. Use open/7ndash;ended questions – how, why, tell me, what, (and to a lesser extent where, when, which) to get the candidate talking. Make sure the candidate does 90% of the talking. Use ‘Why?’ often to probe reasons and to get to the real motives and feelings.

Be real. Ask candidates to talk about real experiences, not how they would act in hypothetical ones. Rather than asking, for example, how a candidate deals with stress in the workplace, ask the candidate how he or she dealt with a specific problem.

Be a good listener. Interviewers who are unprepared and/or inexperienced often fail to listen attentively to candidate’s answers. Avoid thinking about subsequent questions while the candidate is answering your last. Take notes on the candidate’s responses during the interview and after.

Be honest. Don’t oversell, even if you think you've found the perfect candidate. It’s easy to let the interview switch from a focus on the candidate to one of you selling the position to the candidate. While it’s good to make positive noises about the position and the employer, don’t oversell and give the candidate the sense that you are desperate.

Be smart. Make a quick decision. It’s in both your interest and the candidates to make a rapid "go" or "no–go" decision. Commit to deciding within 48 hours of the interview whether you will take the candidate to the next stage in the process.

After employment, it is then in your best interest, both as the employer, and your employee to ensure that they are happy, are developing and content in their role and workplace. Employees are more likely to stay in a position and work hard for their employer if their total well–being is considered.

Best Practice Guidelines for a better workplace environment

To assist employers in the elimination of discrimination and harassment in the workplace and to retain staff you should:

Run an induction for new employees to provide them with basic information about the organisation.

Put in place good appraisal systems that meet both your needs and that of your employee.

Provide and promote promotional opportunities for all staff members.

Provide and promote different types of staff development and training.

Implement positive work environment policies, such as flexible work arrangements to enable you to get the best from your staff, while also achieving their personal goals.

Provide and promote an accessible grievance procedure

TOP

This section is designed to give you some valuable information that may help with your quest for employment. Please check back regularly as the content is continually being updated.

As you are scanning for that ideal job, preparing and planning always play an important part in applying for the position. Some hints to assist you in receiving a response to your application.

Keep a list of every Company and their contact details you wish to apply for, including job reference number if supplied.

Always attach a covering letter identifying the key strengths you have related to the advert. (Note any reference numbers).
Make sure you proofread your application for spelling and grammatical errors prior to submission.

Ensure you have the correct spelling of the company contacts name and title.

Attach a resume to the covering letter. Make sure the resume compliments the job you wish to apply for.

Do not attach references and copies of qualifications etc. These can be presented at interview.

If the position has a closing date, call the company a day after the closing date – if you have not already received confirmation of your application.

If the position does not have a closing date, call the company to confirm receipt of your application – making a note of who you spoke to.

Contact the Company representative a week after the close date to review your position or suitability for interview.

If you have been invited to attend an interview, a few things that will assist you in having the leading edge:

When contacted for interview, check the location of the offices, ie. the closest intersection and parking availability.

Dress appropriately for interview. Presentation is most important for the first impression. Do not chew gum in interview.

Arrive at your interview 5 minutes before the scheduled time.

Be sure to bring along any relevant references (written) and qualification/certificates etc.

Make sure you obtain the correct spelling of the interviewers name(s) and title(s).

Shake your interviewers hand after the interview and thank them for their time. Make sure your handshake is firm but not hard.

Follow up your interview by sending the interviewer a letter of thanks for their time.

TOP