5 Steps To Hiring The Top Talent For Your Organisation
Vacancies for professionals in charity organisations. the public sector and NHS are at an all-time high.
Consequently, it’s a candidate-driven marketplace, with top talent able to have their pick of multiple offers.
So how can you ensure you’re attracting great employees to your organisation?
Be Clear on What You Want
It’s no use looking to recruit new talent to your public sector organisation unless you have first thought about the job you are hiring for. Too many employers put out vague job descriptions and wonder why they don’t get applications from good quality candidates.
For example, if you are looking for a Clinical Business Advisor to develop and deliver a project, consider how to make the job description engaging and informative.
Include background details about your trust or sector - what it does and what its aspirations are.
It’s also a good idea to include background to the individual job, such as, “A new department has been established to work with long term partners to identify and address problematic projects. Your role will be to assist the Head of Transitions to determine partners and projects that require intensive management.” This sets the scene for the job spec itself.
Think about what you require in terms of ability and experience (experience of monitoring plans and progress, supporting senior management, producing reports) as well as essential qualifications.
Depending on the qualities you seek in the employee, include details of preferred soft skills such as a commitment to training and development and an aptitude for teamwork.
Finally, build a picture of what the role will entail on a day to day basis, including information about whom they will work alongside, what will be expected of them and how they may progress in future.
This is your opportunity to sell your organisation to candidates, making it sound an attractive place to work. You’re recruiting in a competitive arena, so you want to be clear on the advantages of working for you will give prospective applicants.
Have a Process in Place
So, once you have interested applicants, it’s time to think about planning the interview. To ensure an efficient process, you will need to make sure you have a robust strategy in place.
Key elements to consider are:
Timescales – schedule all the people who need to be involved in the interview and decision-making process so that you know people are available. Set an achievable target date by which you will select your chosen candidate - you don’t want to find your ideal Risk and Assurance Manager only to have them whisked away by another Trust because you spent too long getting back to them between interview and job offer.
Questions – a thorough and consistent set of questions will offer you the opportunity to quiz candidates on the things that you need to know, to gauge their interest and commitment, and to ensure you operate a fair system for all applicants. Asking the same question set means that you can easily weigh up one candidate against another based on the answers they provide.
When you decide who you will be making an offer to, it's crucial to offer the job verbally on the phone, and then to back it up with a written offer within a couple of days. Again, time is of the essence to make sure they don’t accept a counteroffer elsewhere.
Pay Attention to Your Offer
A recent Glassdoor study found that up to 84% of participants would leave their current employer to join someone with an excellent reputation. Another 69% confirmed they would decline a job offer from an organisation with a poor reputation.
Selecting the right employee is not just about them having the qualifications and experience. It's about the right ‘fit’ into your trust or sector. That means examining your culture - your mission, ethos and aspirations. Does it match those of your potential employee?
If your workplace culture involves a preference for boisterous meetings to thrash out ideas, hiring a new Chief Accountant who is reserved and quiet may not be the best match.
Additionally, pay attention to your employer brand. Your reputation as a place to work and your employee value proposition can and will affect how you are perceived by candidates.
Making sure you have a great employer brand will attract the best talent to drive your trust or sector forward. So, it’s crucial to offer added benefits such as career development opportunities and inclusive culture as well as an excellent salary to attract those you want to work for you.
If you get the brand and offer right, not only will you attract the top talent, but you will build your reputation, increase staff wellbeing and encourage retention, saving you time and money in the long run: always an important consideration for public sector organisations.
Make Sure Your Onboarding Process is Positive
According to SHRM, 50% of new hires leave their roles within the first four months.
The best way to make sure your new top talent stays with you is to immerse new employees into the organisation right from the start, making them feel welcomed and part of the team. This is why having a good onboarding plan is essential. It will foster inclusivity and ensure productivity from the start.
In preparation for onboarding, consider the benefits of keeping in contact with your new employee before their first day, with email introductions and information about the sector they are going to be working in. Remember, a personal connection will make individuals feel part of the team.
You could also look at providing information to current staff about their new colleague and encouraging them to connect via LinkedIn, to break the ice in advance.
A warm welcome on the first day, ensuring the new employee has everything they need (office keys, laptop, parking permit, relevant paperwork), and a comprehensive orientation plan to enable them to get to grips with the job, will help them settle in straight away.
Also pivotal is a training programme to cover the first few months, with regular reviews to address any areas that may need development, but also to offer the new employee the chance to address any concerns or issues.
Consider Engaging with a Specialist Public Sector Recruitment Company
In addition to implementing the strategies mentioned above, the fastest and most effective way of finding the right talent for your organisation is to enlist the help of a recruitment specialist who understands your sector and can help to put you in touch with the right people from day one. This means that you spend less time sifting through the CVs of inappropriate individuals who do not have the depth of skills required for the role.
Building these factors into your recruiting process will enable you to attract great employees to your public sector organisation.
Westwood Harris Burns are specialists in Executive Search and Senior Finance appointments within the Public Sector; with particular expertise in NHS, Housing and Charity Sectors. With over 60 years combined experience, we have extensive knowledge of the market, proven track records and established networks, allowing us to provide a wide range of services to both clients and candidates alike.
To learn more about how we can support you to either build your team or career, visit our Get In Touch page.
