As a manager, one of your key responsibilities is finding competent, skilled staff that fit the role and the company well. They must be able to fulfil the skill set you need initially, with the potential to learn more and adjust easily to the style and atmosphere of the team and the working environment. Recruiting staff is an expensive process, particularly when you take into account the administration and training costs. It can be several months before they are full functioning members of the team .Due to this process and the lack of productivity if the staff turnaround time is high, it is important to find the right person as quickly as possible.

The person who will be managing the new recruit should take the first step in the process. Ensure that you know what you are looking for. Examine and fully analyse the position. Talk to members of staff who also know the role, as they will have a direct insight in what may be required. If it is a new role then ask them what they believe will be required in the future. Consider what further development possibilities come with the appointment. This can be used to entice staff you want to take the job. Examine the company and think about what type of personality would fit the role. Most of all be honest! I have seen people hired for jobs that were not as they were advertised. They were either fired or resigned because they did not fit the role or the company. As shown there are many considerations, but taking time to properly think things through will save you time and money later on.

Once you have collated all the information and details, spend some time thinking about where you will advertise. What type of person are you looking for and where would that type of person go to look for a job? It may be that there are specialist magazines for some areas of employment. Although it is likely to require a budget to advertise in such magazines, it would be worth the investment if you gain access to the skilled market you are looking for. After all, the people you want look there first and if you do not advertise in the right place then you are taking a chance that they will see your advertisement rather than guaranteeing a group of skilled workers to choose from. Other places to consider would be employment websites, newspapers and employment centres.

When looking at CVs I have always discarded those not in mint condition. Bad grammar, spelling mistakes and bad print quality always trigger alarm bells. The candidate knows this is what they will be judged upon initially, yet he/she cannot take that seriously enough to try and impress you with it. Why would that person care about the details of the job once they are in it?

As an initial first sift of the CVs, ask yourself if the person fits the requirements or not? If budget allows it may be possible to use a software solution to help you or a recruitment company to narrow down the list. What stands out to you may not stand out to someone else and it is a subjective process. Create a list of 'must haves,' a list of 'would be nice to haves' and go from there. Immediately discard those that do not have everything you definitely want. Go through this list again to reduce and once there are a reasonable number send for interviews. If you find that nobody is good enough for you then you may need to reduce your requirements. Look at people who have most of what you want and can learn everything else.

Interviews are very important and it is necessary to ask the right questions. Interview questions should not be yes or no answers, but should allow you to gauge the personality and experience of the candidate. It is important therefore to ask open questions such as 'what makes you want to work here?' Ask them for examples of their experience. For example, if you are recruiting a project manager, ask for examples of their leadership, successful and unsuccessful experiences. It is important to remember that people learn by past mistakes so asking about mistakes is not necessarily a bad thing as long as the person can show they have learned from the experience so it will not be repeated.