The all important job description
How will this function fit into the overall operation of the business? The job description should ideally be developed from your business plan and will clarify your expectations for the holder of the position. The initial job description should be as detailed as possible and the key points should be summarised for the purposes of advertising the position. The detailed job description may also serve as the basis of a performance evaluation for the new employee in the future.

Remuneration matters – Do your research
What will you have to pay to attract the calibre of applicants that you are looking for? Given today’s business environment, no employer necessarily wants offer a salary significantly above current market rates, however it’s important that the salary offered is sufficient to attract applicants in the first instance and also to retain them once they come onboard. Do your research into the salaries and benefits offered by your competitors and consider how you might be able to differentiate your offer without necessarily increasing the dollar spend.  Non-monetary remuneration like flexible working hours, time in lieu, or perhaps corporate rates and discounts at local service providers are a good start.

Plan your recruitment strategy
Once you have an idea of the role, and a picture of the ideal candidate for the position, you must give some thought to finding a large enough pool of candidates who meet your stated requirements to enable you to select the candidate that best fits your picture of the ideal. To a large extent, your recruitment strategy will depend on how much time and money you can invest in attracting the best candidates to your pool.
 
There are various recruitment sources available to you to attract candidates, including the usual advertising avenues; the media, job portals etc. However, all too often employers neglect to use some of the best value recruitment sources available to them, namely, existing staff. There may be a staff member on your team who you may have overlooked who would be a great applicant or maybe someone on your team has a contact who would be an ideal fit. You can encourage staff to refer their industry contacts by offering an internal referral bonus for any candidates referred to you that are eventually hired. Social networking sites such as LinkedIn can act as an excellent value recruitment source.
 

Call your Recruitment Agent
This is a vital part of planning your recruitment strategy, especially when you need to maximise the pool of qualified and available candidates from which to select your superstar employee. A recruitment consultant will be able to assist you in a number of ways, most importantly by minimising the amount of time and money you may need to spend on attracting the right candidate.
 
Over time, recruitment consultants build up extensive networks of potential pre-screened candidates within their area of expertise. Most recruitment agencies will welcome the opportunity to try to “match” some of these candidates to your job description, and will even advertise the position on your behalf. A fee is generally only payable after you have made an offer of employment to a candidate provided by the recruitment agency.
 
Your recruitment consultant would also be able to advise on current market salary information for similar positions to yours.
 
Determine your recruitment process
Your recruitment process must be fair and consistent across all candidates to give you a good chance of correctly evaluating the capabilities of each applicant. What you want to see from each interested applicant depends entirely on the requirements of the role. A good start is a professional resume, you may also ask for written references from previous employers, or you could even ask applicants to submit a piece of work for review.
 
When it comes to the interview, who will be the most appropriate individual/s within your organisation to conduct the interviews, how many rounds of interviews would be appropriate and what style of interview will you adopt? One interview may be sufficient to give an understanding of the capabilities of applicants for a junior position, whereas applicants for a more senior position can expect two or more rounds of interviews.
 
I am an advocate of candidate testing as an objective means of evaluating a candidate. There are a variety of tests that can be undertaken, and selecting the right tests will rely heavily on the key requirements identified in the detailed job description. The tests can be used to compare technical skills, mental acuity, or even personalities of your applicants to determine which comes closest to your idea of the ideal candidate.