Recruitment & Selection

The person specification is a description of the qualifications, skills, experience, knowledge, and other attributes (selection criteria) which a candidate must possess to perform the job duties. The specification should be derived from the job description and forms the foundation for the recruitment process.

Once you know exactly what you need in terms of knowledge, skills and experience, it is time to determine the duties and responsibilities of the job. Preparing a comprehensive job description will help you know what your potential employees must have in order to meet the demands of the role. More importantly, it provides your prospects with a checklist or a list that they can compare themselves to before applying. It is a tool to ensure that you get applications from the right candidates. 

Identifying the right talent, attracting them and motivating them to apply are the most important aspects of the recruitment process. The job listing should be advertised internally to generate referrals as well as externally on popular social networking sites and preferred job boards. Recruiters can also conduct job fairs and promote openings in local publications to enhance the exposure of the vacancy. 

Applications will need to be screened on the basis of minimum qualifications. The next stage would be sorting applications that have the preferred credentials by looking at their certifications, relevant experience, domain expertise, technical competencies and other specific skills that are required for the role. Then, shortlist candidates who have both the preferred credentials and the minimum qualifications and finally, flag any concerns or queries in the CV so they can be clarified during the interview. 

Face to face personal interviews can last longer because this is the last step before the recruiter does a final evaluation and makes the job offer. Final interviews may be conducted by the management and are typically extended to a very small pool of standout candidates. The final choice should be agreed upon at this stage along with a backup candidate selection. 

This is the final stage of the recruitment process. You should never take it for granted that the candidate will accept your offer. However, if your candidate has patiently completed all the paperwork and waited through the selection process, the odds of accepting the offer are high.