1. Specialist Recruitment hays.com
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Techniques
for successful
recruiting
MAF5054

2. In a job market characterised by skills
shortages and competition for talent,
successful recruitment is all about
focusing your efforts on the most
relevant candidates in the most efficient
manner. This includes proactively
convincing those candidates – at every
stage – that your organisation offers the
best opportunity out of the many that
will undoubtedly be presented to them.
Fine-tuning your job specification,
screening flexibly, preparing properly for
interview, handling offers sensitively and
maintaining contact through notice
periods are just some of the necessary
techniques needed to secure the
people you want.
All this requires a more considered
approach than you may have been used
to previously. However, our recent
experience indicates that this
investment on the part of employers can
make the recruitment experience more
organised, productive and even
enjoyable – certainly more successful.
We’ve prepared this
guide to help you
achieve outstanding
results.
Contents
Establishing what you
want and what you’ve
got to offer 4
Writing the job and
person specifications 6
Planning your time and
the selection tools 8
Working with a
recruitment partner 10
Making the interview
work for you 12
Making offers
14
Post-offer,
post-acceptance
and post-start date 16
Looking after your
new recruit in the
early days 18
Contact details 19
32

3. One of the most important things you have to prepare
when evaluating your requirements is what you, as an
employer, have to offer new recruits:
• What kinds of prospects are on offer? Think about
your own or your colleagues’ progression, to help
give potential recruits an idea of how they might
develop within your organisation
• Do you offer excellent training, great working
conditions, a fantastic team environment or a healthy
work-life balance?
• What about the excellent practical experiences a
new person will gain by working with you in this
role? Skill development means that a candidate is
adding to their value in the employment market
• Do you have a compelling pay and benefits
package? Consider everything your organisation
has to offer – from performance bonuses, private
healthcare and pensions right through to gym
membership, free lunches or parking
Consider what the motivation would be of someone
who’s ready to “step up” into the job for which you’re
recruiting. Ask yourself whether what you have on offer
would match the expectations of your ideal candidate –
in terms of job content, rewards and prospects. Your
recruitment consultant should really understand the
current market – ask what other employers of a similar
size or industry in your area are offering at the moment
in terms of salary, benefits and prospects.
In an environment of near-full employment, candidates
have choices – so however prestigious an employer
you are, you still need to consider what your sales pitch
is against the competition.
It’s vital to prepare a really tailored job description,
including the responsibilities of the postholder, goals
of the job and profile of an ideal person. Preparing a
detailed specification will also help you focus on
exactly what skills you seek – and ensures your
recruitment consultant gets a solid grasp of the job,
meaning he or she will be able to save you time by
avoiding inappropriate candidate profiles and
interviews. Investing the time to profile the role can
also provide a welcome exercise in re-evaluating your
department’s needs or even juggling around
responsibilities amongst your team.
Ask yourself if what you
have on offer would
match the expectations
of your ideal candidate
Detailed job and person specifications make the
recruitment process more efficient. Many employers
mistakenly advertise (or work with) vague
specifications, with the intention of seeing who turns
up – but this invariably leads to time lost through
irrelevant applications and fruitless interviews. Proper
specifications help you evaluate cvs more speedily
and objectively, and provide a platform for pertinent
interview questions. However, take care to categorise
criteria into “essential” and “desirable”.
Establishing what you want
and what you’ve got to offer
– saves time and makes you
more effective
54

4. 76
Writing the job and person
specifications – ensure you hire
the right person first time
The job specification is a tailored description of the
vacancy, while the person specification profiles those
who would best fit the bill.
Be as specific
as possible
If the position is brand new, say so. Candidates want
to know what prompted the creation of the role – for
instance, company growth, a lack of a particular skill in
existing staff, an increase in business, an acquisition,
restructuring or company transition. Citing the reason
positively will help to promote the job as one in which
the appointee can make a real contribution.
The job specification should contain:
• Core job description and aims of the position
• Specific responsibilities within the context of both
the department and the company
• How the role interacts with other people in finance
• How the role interacts with colleagues in non-finance
departments, clients and suppliers – this helps give
an idea of the level of interpersonal skills that will be
needed to carry out the role successfully
• Examples of projects in which the new recruit will be
involved
• A clear idea of where the job could lead to within
your organisation, eg elsewhere within finance, line
management, subsidiary or head office
• How the postholder’s performance will be evaluated
– and against what specific criteria
The person specification should contain:
• Competencies you require – behaviours and
actions that are most likely to impact on
performance of the job
• How these competencies will be applied in the
context of the job
• Specific education or qualifications that are required
• Level and length of experience needed
• What evidence you expect to see of the candidate’s
skills and knowledge
• Specific industry experience or job type background
– or alternatively, those skills which could be
transferable from other industry sectors
• Personality type – traits and skills that are likely to
best produce the outcomes you want from your new
recruit – particularly with regard to interaction with
other people within and from outside the department
Give yourself and
your job specification
a reality check
Be as specific as possible, this helps potential recruits
to understand exactly what’s entailed – and helps you
minimise the chances of problems arising once the
successful candidate has actually started work. Vague
or non-existent specifications can result in employees
leaving prematurely because they’ve found that the job
hasn’t met their expectations. It’s also worth
considering what are the most challenging or difficult
aspects of the job – not to mention what are the more
routine features and how much of the working day is
likely to be spent on these activities – again, this will
help qualify what’s needed.
However, don’t go over the top. Once you’ve finished,
give yourself and your job specification a reality check:
• Do the requirements you have asked for actually exist
in one person?
• If so, would that person be interested in the role and
are they affordable?
• Why do they need to have the experience you have
outlined – could you be more flexible?
• Are there transferable skills or knowledge bases that
a candidate may have from another industry sector?
• Could any skills or knowledge gaps be closed with
some training?
If you make your requirements too demanding or
unrealistic, you run the risk of waiting too long for the
perfect person. Again, this is where a good consultant
can add value by providing feedback on your
requirements. Once you’ve established a detailed and
realistic specification, your consultant will be in a better
position to use his or her market knowledge to advise
on candidate availability, looking at potential candidates
as if through your eyes.

5. 98
How long does successful recruitment take? Well, for
a start, whoever you recruit is likely to have a minimum
of a four-week notice period, while those at qualified
level are often contracted and expected to serve as
much as three months notice. Planning ahead is
crucial, whether or not there is a present incumbent,
and particularly when there is none. Your own
availability for interview, and that of colleagues and
potential candidates, needs to be considered. Be
prepared to allow sufficient time to get everything right.
Although virtually all selection processes will include a
face-to-face interview as the principal way of putting
candidates through their paces, some organisations
like to carry out testing or formal assessments before
committing to an offer. If you go down this route, you’ll
need to allow for more time so that your assessment
date suits the diaries of your favourite candidates.
Choose selection
tools with care
The assessment techniques or skills testing you use
must be appropriate for the skills you want to assess.
There is a myriad of tests in the marketplace, from the
objective and rational to the weird and wonderful.
• Occupational personality questionnaires, ability
testing (eg for numerical or verbal reasoning),
roleplaying, in-tray exercises and accounting skills
testing may all be used with a degree of confidence,
depending on the nature of the role
• Ensure the right test is used for your job. Using the
wrong test can give you a poor impression of
someone who’s just right for the job – and, more
dangerously, vice versa
• In all events, avoid the mystical end of the testing
spectrum – handwriting analysis and asking for star
signs are not just lacking in any scientific proof of
effectiveness when selecting – they are likely to send
the wrong signal to your best candidates and
completely put them off
Competency-based interviewing is a popular, objective
technique, giving the interviewer a framework to look at
candidates’ soft skills. The premise is that a person’s
future behaviour can be predicted from their recent
behaviours – so, in the interview, evidence is sought of
situations where a candidate has demonstrated
competencies in specific skill areas. This form of
interviewing is regarded as being more effective than
interviews where candidates are asked to answer
questions based on hypothetical scenarios. Although
competency-based interviewing can be learned, it’s
best to seek advice from qualified HR colleagues or
external consultants to get the best from the technique,
or indeed to determine whether it’s the most suitable
way of assessing candidates for your specific position.
When devising your own tests for potential recruits,
think carefully about what are the absolutely essential
prerequisites – for which you’d happily pay at the top
end of your salary range – and what you could manage
without initially, but introduce later on the job. For
instance, there may be certain software programmes
with which you’ll need your new person to hit the
ground running. But there may be others that could be
picked up via some brief training. So, any systems
testing needs to reflect the balance of priorities.
It’s natural to be concerned that you or your line
managers will end up having to spend a lot of time
training your new recruit in either specific technical
skills or simply in the way your organisation does
things. However, the majority of people who start new
jobs are keen to impress their new employer, especially
in the first few weeks – and therefore will really apply
themselves, often taking reading home or putting in a
few extra hours in order to get up to speed and not be
perceived a burden on other senior staff. In this way,
the learning curve can be hugely accelerated.
Potential and
personality can often
be more critical than
pure knowledge
Most skills that can be learned, can be learned quickly
– which means potential and personality can often be
more critical than pure knowledge, particularly where
qualified finance professionals are concerned. By all
means aim high – but remember what’s important and
be prepared to make certain compromises on those
factors that don’t rate as highly as others.
Don’t forget
temporary cover
Lastly, remember that temporary cover can:
• Buy you time while you’re recruiting
• Bridge the gap between the leaver and your new starter
• Prevent a build-up of work for the recruit to walk into
And of course, your temporary worker may ultimately
prove to be the best person for your permanent role –
and hiring them will give you the comfort of already
having seen your new recruit in action on the job.
Planning your time and the
selection tools – helps you
identify the right candidate

6. 1110
Using a recruitment consultancy allows you to benefit
from its market intelligence, database of available
candidates, ability to market opportunities to
in-demand people and experience in negotiating tricky
offer situations. Plus of course, you only pay when a
successful appointment starts and there will be a
guarantee period with a scale of rebates – advantages
that don’t accompany press advertising.
How to select a
suitable recruitment
consultancy
When selecting a consultancy to work on your behalf,
a number of factors need to be taken into account. As
well as measuring against criteria specific to your
position, you’ll need to ask:
• What experience do they have of recruiting:
– Within finance?
– At this level?
– In your industry sector?
– In your geographic area?
(and ask for evidence such as case studies or
testimonials)
• Can they provide reliable advice on salaries and
benefits?
• How extensive is their database of candidates?
• What steps do they take to ensure their database is
well-stocked – in other words, how do they invest in
marketing to attract candidates?
• What online solutions do they offer to complement
database search?
• What are their terms of business – and is there a
guarantee period?
Once you have decided to use a recruitment
consultancy, work with them in partnership. Working
with one or two rather than four or five consultancies
will save you time and ensure your consultants are
working as an extension of your HR or finance team in
finding you the right person. It’s vital that you invest the
time required to get the best out of your consultant. He
or she will be responsible for promoting your
opportunity to the market, and the interest and
commitment you show will need to motivate and inspire
all concerned. Spending time with your consultant can
make a radical difference to how swiftly and
successfully your requirements are fulfilled – for
instance, a visit from your consultant can easily reduce
the time taken to fill your position by as much as half,
due to the knowledge and insight gained at the
meeting. The time spent with your consultant will pay
off in the long run by saving you even more time.
When candidates are in short supply, you may believe
that it’s necessary to cast the net wide and talk to a
number of consultancies. But beware of stipulating a
maximum, equal number of candidate details that you’d
like to see from each one. Setting such limits may
prevent a cv flood but may also result in one specialist
consultancy with a large, relevant database sending
you, say, two closely-matching cvs – while a less
specialist or reputable firm also sends you two cvs, but
of a much lower calibre. The first consultancy may have
other excellent candidates that your limit has stopped
them from sending.
• Set limits by all means, but don’t necessarily give
each consultancy equal instructions
• Weigh consultancies up according to their likelihood
of finding people for you – and how they propose to
tackle your recruitment exercise
• Where possible, really try to limit the number you
work with
How many candidates you decide to see depends on
market conditions. For more specialist or in-demand
skills, where candidates have more choice, it can be
hazardous to hang around waiting for a comparison
candidate, when there’s someone with whom you’ve
completely clicked at interview and who has
demonstrated all the relevant skills to carry out the role
satisfactorily. You may have met, say, five people for
first interview, four of which were unsuitable – but now
is not the time to insist on three second interviews
when one closely matches your requirements.
Your number one
choice is unlikely to
remain on the market
for long
However, the converse is that, where line managers
who are hard-pressed for time want to limit the number
of interviews they’re prepared to carry out, there’s a
danger that a couple of candidates alone won’t allow a
sufficient choice – especially when they have other
interviews and could easily accept other offers. On
these occasions, it’s often important to meet four or
five in order to get a better picture of the choice
available. Don’t allow these false limitations to create
conflicts between capability and “suitability”.
Ask advice from your recruitment consultant regarding
the current marketplace, availability of candidates and
whether those candidates are likely to have other
options and interviews.
Working with a recruitment
partner – make the market
work for you

7. 1312
The national press, and almost every finance and HR
publication, regularly report surveys and studies
indicating that in the “knowledge economy”, knowledge
is the one commodity that’s in short (and even
decreasing) supply. And with fewer skilled people
around to fill a greater number of vacancies, more new
jobs being created each week and a shrinking pool of
quality talent coming through the ranks, this places
greater demands on each role. This could be regarded
as something of a vicious circle – but it’s something
that can be dealt with by having a proactive approach
to the interview process.
You, the employer, have
to do the hard work
during the interview
Candidates these days are cannier about the job
market. Access to a greater number of opportunities
via the internet, media reports about skill shortages
and, more often than not, the comfort of knowing their
own employer is likely to try to hold onto them, all
conspire to create a situation where you, the
prospective employer, have to do the hard work during
the interview to sell the opportunity to the candidate.
When assessing the candidate’s cv in advance of the
interview, you can:
• Identify potential strengths and weaknesses that can
be probed, as well as any gaps or other issues that
need to be addressed
• Structure the interview and explain the agenda to the
candidate at the start:
– Brief outline of the job and the company
– Questions to the candidate based on their cv and
on your job specification
– Opportunity for the candidate to ask questions
– Company benefits, training and likely career path
(those aspects not covered already in the
interview)
– Discussion of the next step in the recruitment
process
– Outline any tests or assessment tools that will
be involved
• Demonstrate early on that you have read the
candidate’s cv and ask questions that clearly follow
up its content
• Search for evidence of solid experience that
shows the candidate has the core competencies
you require
• Deliver your own “marketing message” to the
candidate – take the time to provide a thorough
insight into your organisation and what you have
to offer
• Show you have a genuine interest in making sure that
your new recruit can not only can carry out the job,
but that he/she will also find it fulfilling and rewarding
Be prepared for
careful scrutiny from
the candidate
Everything you say will be sifted and compared carefully
by the candidate – it will be very evident if you haven’t
made that essential effort.
Many interviewers fall prey to the “halo and horn”
effect. At one extreme, this could mean that you view
the candidate less favourably as a result of what
amounts to a pretty unimportant issue – such as one
slightly dubious answer or the fact that the candidate
has pursued a different institute’s qualification. At the
other, you may sub-consciously award brownie points
to candidates simply because they have home towns,
universities or even hobbies and interests in common
with you. Consequently, deserving people can unfairly
lose out while inappropriate candidates are not as
rigorously questioned as they should be. With this in
mind, it’s vital that you remain as objective as possible,
and check yourself where you suspect the “halo and
horn” effect may be coming into play.
Be prepared for careful scrutiny from the candidate of
the job and your organisation. If you’re assertive in your
own response, it will give candidates greater
confidence and trust in you. Candidates have a wide
choice – they’re likely to ask searching questions.
Respond positively and give detail where required.
Making the interview
work for you – getting
the candidate to ‘buy in’
• Find out more about the organisations the candidate
has worked for (for instance, by visiting their websites
to compare company size/turnover/ business)
• Prioritise what you want to find out – for instance:
– What was the extent of responsibility for staff –
were recruitment and training involved?
– How will managing a smaller or larger team impact
on how the candidate feels about the position?
– What projects were managed? What were the
volumes or values of accounts handled? Which
specific aspects of the finance function did the
candidate have responsibility for?
– If the candidate is making a move that will increase
status and responsibility, how will he/she manage
the transition?
The interview is not just about the candidate
convincing you why you should hire them – you
also need to promote the position and your
organisation to the candidate, whose job search may
well generate plenty of interviews and even multiple
offers. There’s also likely to be competition from your
candidate’s current employer.
However, this new, more discerning breed of candidate
shouldn’t be a cause for concern – it just requires
some tweaking of your interview style. Shifting from an
“interrogation” style to a more general exploration of
both sides’ needs and aspirations, isn’t just good
etiquette – it’s vital to securing interest in the role. So,
without pointing out the obvious:
• Divert phone calls and ensure you’re not interrupted
to make enough time for a comprehensive two-way
discussion and to establish a rapport; interruptions
not only give candidates the impression you’re
disorganised but, more damagingly, that you’re not
truly interested in them

8. 1514
At the offer stage, you need to be mindful of certain
protocols in order not to undo all the good work you’ve
already done.
It’s an easy mistake to make, but when you meet the
perfect candidate at interview, don’t be tempted to try
to clinch the deal immediately and offer them a job on
the spot. Rather than demonstrating clear thinking,
enthusiasm and commitment, it can convey a sense of
desperation and leave candidates with a sense of
“easy come, easy go”.
People like to feel they’ve had to compete for hard-won
jobs – an on-the-spot offer doesn’t often feel like an
achievement. It’s not just the psychology that’s
important; it’s the pay, benefits and prospects – and
how these stack up to expectations – that the
candidate will be considering. You’re unlikely to know
or discover all of this at the interview stage, so don’t
show your hand when some careful collaboration with
your recruitment consultant can help pinpoint the right
blend of salary, bonus, benefits, prospects and training
that’s needed to close the deal for you.
If your concern is that by not offering on the spot, the
candidate will feel less “wanted”, then don’t worry.
People don’t expect to be offered on the spot – they
understand that you’ll naturally need time to consider
their interview performance, as well as perhaps
consulting colleagues and certainly talking to your
recruitment consultant.
It’s hard to go back to renegotiate a package with a
candidate if you’ve missed the salary mark first time
round in an on-the-spot offer:
• Financials represent more than just money – it’s all
the candidate has to tangibly judge you on regarding
your likely performance as an employer
• If the offer is less than expected, your choice
candidate is likely to take umbrage
• Inappropriate offers can send a message that you’re
trying to get the candidate on the cheap
• If the offer is less than others have offered, it can
demonstrate that you disagree with the candidate’s
market worth
Don’t be tempted
to try to clinch the
deal immediately and
make an offer at the
interview
One candidate gave his recruitment consultant
feedback after an on-the-spot offer, saying that it was
as if his interview answers hadn’t ever mattered, and
that the job was his before he went in. Uncertainty over
the speed of the offer left the candidate unconvinced.
In other words, what was no doubt intended to tempt
and even flatter, resulted only in creating deep
suspicion and uncertainty. It’s better at this stage to
be restrained – even if you really believe you have the
candidate of your dreams sitting across the desk
from you.
Making offers – and
getting them accepted
It’s absolutely fine to indicate your interest and
enthusiasm – and to explore how the candidate is
feeling at this stage too (even asking how they would
feel if they were actually offered). But offers need to be
negotiated – and the interview room is not the place.
Your consultant is in the best position to advise on how
to ensure the offer is accepted. You want this person,
and you’ve invested time and energy – and probably
one or more of your colleagues have too – so trust
your consultant’s experience.
Don’t let paperwork
let you down
One last note on offers is about administration. Don’t
let paperwork let you down – once negotiations have
come to a close, get your paperwork sorted and a
positive, welcoming offer letter out the door to the
candidate as soon as possible.
Delays will allow the candidate time to consider other
employment options without feeling committed to you,
as well as giving the impression of inefficiency and/or
lack of care on your part. You don’t want the candidate
to feel taken for granted before he or she has even
started working for you.

9. 1716
In today’s market, counter-offering – the practice of
refusing a resignation from an employee and countering
it with a more attractive offer – has become a frequent
occurrence. And counter-offers are not just confined to
the resignation meeting. In fact, they can and do
continue to be made as much as three or four weeks
into the notice period – at which time employees can
be at their most insecure and perhaps nervous about
an impending move. Employers who initially accept
resignations can swiftly change their minds a couple
of weeks later once they discover how few suitable
replacements are on the market. They’re then in a
position to make offers that candidates find difficult to
refuse – much more money and a complete change or
improvement in responsibilities.
It’s vital to maintain
appropriate contact
with your new recruit
during the notice period
Regardless of the fact that the candidate has felt
moved to look for a new job, the relative comfort zone
of the present employer, the attention and flattery that
is being paid, combined with a bigger and better
overall package, exerts a powerful pull. Your
recruitment consultant should be working to help you
avoid this situation and to help mediate if things get
this far – but you can act to build bridges with your
prospective employee and make them less susceptible
to the counter-offer.
It’s vital to maintain appropriate contact with your
recruit whilst they work out their notice period, but
without creating additional stress. The simplest way is
to arrange for the recruit to meet his or her new
colleagues in a social environment, such as a company
event or team gathering. The important thing is not to
make your recruit feel like he or she is in a void. Indeed,
some employers have more formal procedures in place
specifically to retain candidate interest through the
notice period. For instance, one blue-chip employer in
business services has a policy of arranging at least one
face-to-face, often social, meeting and one written
communication (usually giving a flavour of the first
week and month) in order to keep their new recruits
warm – for every four weeks of notice period being
served. It’s a policy that’s served them well as
insurance against counter-offers, changes of heart
and approaches from other recruitment agencies.
Post-offer, post-acceptance
and post-start date – it’s
not over yet

10. 1918
However confident or senior your new recruit, the first
days and weeks can be uncertain or doubtful times.
So, ensure your new recruit feels valued and involved
from day one, with a really solid induction week.
Establish regular review meetings and set up an “early
warning” mechanism to alert yourself to anything that’s
not quite right. Where you can, assign a coach or
mentor – perhaps someone who’s not the direct line
manager but whose role is to help integration into
the company and in whom problems can be confided.
Remember that ex-employers have been known to
re-approach lost employees to invite them to come
back to their old jobs, while other companies, who
have met the candidate whilst they were jobhunting,
can also re-approach them to see if things are working
out as expected. Don’t let an unsatisfactory start play
into the hands of such approaches.
Ensure your new
recruit feels valued and
involved from day one
Finally, don’t forget your recruitment consultant. He or
she isn’t here simply to match cvs to job specifications
and walk away. Your consultant should be working
side-by-side with you throughout and beyond the
recruitment and probation period to ensure things
continue to go smoothly.
We hope you’ve found this guide
helpful. Ideally you’ll have been able to
identify areas where you can do more
as an employer to ensure you get the
right new recruit for your job – first time,
every time.
Good luck with your recruiting, and
remember your recruitment consultant is
there to help at every stage.
Call 0800 716026 for your nearest
Hays office, or visit hays.com and click
on Office Locator.
Looking after your new recruit
in the early days and avoid
having to start again

11. Specialist Recruitment hays.com
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Techniques
for successful
recruiting
MAF5054