Building a Business – recruiting your top team

Something our team at Work Avenue are hearing from employers, more than ever before, is that they are struggling to recruit and keep staff members.

Many are receiving fewer and/or lower quality applications than they did previously, while at the same time current employees are leaving for new opportunities or higher salaries. This not only creates major staffing issues, but also means that small business owners are having their time diverted to these problems and away from other core goals.

If you are in this position, know you are not alone. A recent survey from Indeed found that more than half of UK businesses (55%) are finding recruitment more challenging now than at the same time one year earlier.

Our expert team at Work Avenue are here to help with free one-to-one advice, workshops and year-round support.

We speak to both businesses and those looking for work, so can see what is happening from both sides and try to bring it together in the best way we can.

Below our Head of Employment Yael Shainfeld and Employment Programmes Manager Melanie Pearl offer five quick tips to help you recruit your top team:

1) Define the role

Think about the actual role you are recruiting for and its two key components – the job description of day-to-day duties and the person specification of the skills, qualifications and personality traits you are looking for. If someone is leaving, don’t just recruit for the exact same role and type of person, but take time to look how things may have changed and how a new recruit can blend in to your current team. Start with your ideal wish-list for your new hire, but bear in mind you won’t get every single thing you are looking for – around 70% is a common compromise for both employer and job seeker.

2) Advertise in the right places

Work Avenue has a live Jobs Board on our website, as well Facebook and WhatsApp groups of those looking for work. We add jobs all the time and we know it’s the most visited page on our website, making it a great first place to advertise when recruiting. Additional options include adding to your own social media and website, posting in relevant social media groups and advertising in other places, for example the jobs page in The Jewish Chronicle. Networking is another great way to find potential new employees and something we strongly recommend.

3) Keep the interview on track

It’s important to use the interview to really get to know the candidate. In order to do this: prepare a list of relevant and open questions; let the candidate speak more than you do; stay on topic; and ultimately end the interview assured that they want the job and can easily fit into the role and your organisation. If an interview is being done via Zoom, and you are at the stage where you want to offer the job, then consider a second in-person interview at your workplace so you can see them in that environment.

4) Think practically

If you haven’t found the right person, then don’t get frustrated. Think about how urgent filling the role is and whether you can afford to wait. If not, can you compromise? Are there other options, such as using a freelancer or outsourcing the work?

5) Come and see us

Our team at Work Avenue are advising entrepreneurs and owners of businesses of all shapes and sizes every single day. If you need support or have any questions, please get in touch and book a free appointment.

• Watch a webinar on this topic featuring in-depth advice from Yael and Melanie – as well as Work Avenue’s Employment Pathways Coordinator Melissa Athersych and Employment Adviser & Events Manager Sara Gatoff – HERE. (link to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPF492UhnAY)

• Next month, a second blog in this series will look at tips for retaining your top team.