The A-Z of Recruitment

Thursday January 31, 2019

Awards and agreements

Awards and agreements set out legal requirements for minimum employment conditions, including rates of pay.  There are many different types and they can vary from one industry to the next. Do you know which, if any, might apply to your new employee?

Business plan

Workforce planning is an important part of any wider business plan and is a good first step in your recruitment strategy. Your workforce plan can highlight skills gaps and opportunities for training or internal promotions.

Company culture

Company culture can be a big pull for candidates. And you will also want to know that your new employee will fit in well with yours. Communicate your company culture and core values by including them in your job description and interviews.

Decide employment status

When bringing a new employee into your business you’ll need to know if they are full-time, part-time or casual, as well as an employee, fixed term or contractor. There are many factors to consider and getting it wrong can be a costly mistake. Ask us if you have questions.

Employment contracts

Providing each new employee with the right employment contract is crucial when it comes to protecting your business. Make sure you use the right contract for the right role and at the right time.

Flexible working

Flexible working is a hot topic and a desired benefit of many job seekers. In December 2018 the Fair Work Commission made important changes to the way in which flexible work requests should be handled. Are you up to date?

Ghosting

Being ‘ghosted’ is the recruitment equivalent of being stood-up. In a job-seekers’ market, that cold feeling of rejection usually associated with online dating is becoming a common occurrence for companies who are hiring. Read our top tips on how to reduce the risk of being ghosted.

Headhunting

Headhunting can be a good way to attract your preferred calibre of employees. Just be sure to approach the process with caution and respect the confidentiality of your prospects.  Steps one and two should involve research and rapport.

Interviews

An interview will give you dedicated time with a candidate so that you can both discuss suitability for the role. To get the most out of this time, it is wise to do some interview prep to avoid repetition or missing out important questions which check that the candidate really has the right knowledge, skills and attitude to do the job.

Consider the location of your interview too. Does it give a good first impression of your business?

Job descriptions

Both a good job description and person specification are essential when it comes to being clear about the role and the person you want to fill it. Consider the title and keywords that you are using to advertise your role. Check out the competition too. Is your offering as attractive as theirs?

Knowledge

Make sure they have the right knowledge for the role. But also have you found a way to train and share knowledge across the team so that if someone is away, work does not grind to a halt?

Legal bit

Legal protection for candidates starts with your job advert. Is your process up-to-date and compliant for the likes of anti-discrimination, right to work and criminal record checks?

Medical

Enquiring about a candidate’s health before offering them a job could fall within the lines of discrimination under Fair Work law. There are few instances where it would be suitable to ask, for example if the job comes with an occupational requirement.

National Employment Standards (NES)

The following NES apply to all employees in the national workplace relations system:
Max weekly hours, requests for flexible working, parental or adoption leave, annual leave, compassionate leave – including carers leave and family and domestic violence leave, community service leave, long service leave, public holidays, termination and redundancy, Fair Work Information Statement.

Offering the job

When you have found the ideal candidate for your role, it’s time to make them a job offer, great!
If you have already discussed salary expectations and employee benefits with your candidate, the process is likely to continue as expected. If you haven’t, you may want to keep your options open or prepare for the possibility of a counter offer.

Protected attributes

The following attributes are protected from discrimination under Australia’s federal anti-discrimination laws:
Race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, family or carer responsibilities, pregnancy, religion, political opinion, national extraction, social origin.

Questions

Your interview questions should tell you enough but not too much. There’s an obvious need to avoid subjects that could breach anti-discrimination law (see protected attributes above). And it’s also wise to steer clear of contentious subjects like politics or pressing for answers too vehemently. Their questions will tell you how much they have thought about the role.

References

Candidates often lie on CVs. We recommend that you include reference checks as part of your recruitment process to corroborate the skills and experience submitted by your candidates. To do this, it’s best to have a policy in place to make the process legal and fair.

Superannuation

Employers must pay superannuation contributions for qualifying employees and guidelines are set out by the Australian Tax Office. Ask us if you have questions regarding your new employees.

Telephone interviews

If you have received a substantial number of applications for your vacancy, telephone interviews are a good way to shortlist candidates before holding face-to-face interviews. Plan your questions in advance and give a dedicated amount of time for each one to be answered.

Unconscious bias

Unconscious bias, through affinity, can influence your recruitment decisions. It’s important to be aware of it and justify your decisions with facts and evidence to avoid discrimination.

Visas

With a potentially diverse pool of applicants, you will need to check that your preferred candidate has the right to work in Australia and can provide proof of their visa if required. If you are unsure, we can help, simply ask us about HR Dept Workpro.

Wages

Legally you must pay your employees at least their applicable minimum wage. It would be fair to pay your employees an affordable wage based on their skills, experience and the work entailed. Consider wages at the very start of recruitment to ensure that you have the budget required.

Xmas and seasonal staff

To be well prepared for busy periods, you may wish to consider hiring seasonal staff. Our advice would be to give yourself plenty of time with this. Planning your seasonal recruitment strategy in advance will not only provide you with more time for training temps, but also broaden your opportunities.  Read our top tips on recruiting seasonal staff.

Your rights

Ultimately it is your decision as to who you choose to hire for your business. But your recruitment process does fall subject to fair work rules. Be fair to your business and candidates by introducing a recruitment policy, detailing the how’s and whys of your process.

Zest

Approach your recruitment process with enthusiasm and zest to enhance your chances of attracting the right talent. Equally, ask yourself, does this candidate have enough of an appetite to join your team?

Recruitment can be a big drain on your resources, contact your local HR Dept for support.

Preventing People Problems

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter

Copyright © 2017 - 2022 HR Franchise Group Pty Ltd trading as The HR Dept Australia| ABN 87 611 363 467