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Once you’ve intervied all the candidates it’s time to make the decision. It's a crucial decision and rarely an easy one to make as it often rides on so many factors. Mike Cannell, adviser for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, offers a word of warning here.
“One thing is not to recruit in your own image. There is a temptation to recruit people like yourself because you know you will get on with them, but you should try to recruit people who are different to you, who can bring something else to the party.”
And if all your notes and marking systems are simply making you more confused, remember that you are employing a person not a robot. Especially in small companies, they will need to have the right personality to fit in.
“It’s not an exact science. On two occasions I made really bad mistakes. The people interviewed OK, but I had a feeling that they weren’t right for the company. So go with the people you feel happy with.”
And if you don’t find anyone you want to employ, don’t panic. “The problem is when you get a lack of suitable candidates and you start thinking, “Well, I’ve got to appoint someone.” Don’t appoint anybody. If you can’t find anybody who’s good enough, do without them. If you are desperate, get someone on a short term contract,” adds Cannell
Once you’ve made the final offer, just one thing remains – checking the references. There are a number of ways of doing this, either through mail, telephone or in person.
“We always have to check up references,” explains Mary McPherson-Mills of Direct Care. “But if the past employer has put something that isn’t exactly glowing, I don’t always take that at face value. I go back to the person and give them a chance to come up with another one.”
And once they have checked out, that’s it. You can confirm the start date, prepare the forms and relax, happy in the knowledge that you probably won’t have to go through another selection process for at least a while.
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