The SME business challenge... recruiting new staff

The SME business challenge... recruiting new staff

For any SME increasing staff numbers is a massive decision, but in your heart, you know that it’s the only way forward if you want to grow your business. So, here are my tips to help you successfully recruit.

Be clear on the job and person specification…

Take time to write a full job and person specification, list the key tasks you would like your new employee to deal with and think about the skills required to complete those tasks successfully.  There are numerous benefits to having a clear and concise job description, not least of which is it will help you measure your new employees performance in their role.

Decide on the hours needed, salary and benefits.

Cultural fit for your business…………
You will ascertain during your skills based interview, candidate testing and references, if your candidate can do the specific tasks required for the role.

As an SME business owner you’ll be acutely aware of the importance of “culture- fit” when bringing in a new team member and you will need to ascertain this during the interview process by asking questions about values, principles and team ethic.

Don’t forget to sell the merits of working for your business......
Your business is your universe, but in the eyes of a candidate, you may be an unknown quantity. You need to pitch your potential growth and promote any non-financial benefits of working for your business e.g. flexible work arrangements. When you are reviewing candidates, look closely at candidates who have worked for other SMEs or who have established their own businesses and are looking to come back into the workplace. You want people who are happy to get their hands dirty, have a hint of entrepreneurial spirit, or have no interest in working for large organisations. 

Temporary, contract or permanent to start with?.............
Hiring someone as a contractor or temporary employee to start with can be a smart move to ensure that, firstly, the new recruit can do the job, but also fits with the culture of your workplace. It also allows employers to test a flexible work arrangement before creating a more permanent position.  However, if a candidate is already in a permanent role they are unlikely to accept an offer of contract or temporary work from you and in this instance you would need to make an permanent job offer to attract that candidate into your business.

Most of the time, candidates will work with a contract/temporary role as long as there is a view to the role becoming permanent. Do, keep in mind that candidates may continue to consider other permanent options whilst they are working with you as most people’s priority is a permanent job.

Many employers are also happy to hire someone upfront in a permanent position. Most candidates are naturally attracted to permanent roles because it provides a sense of job security. If your business is established, there is sufficient work, and you require someone with skills that your business doesn’t have, permanent roles provide the opportunity for someone to come into the business with a medium to long term outlook.

If you would like the support of CJE Resourcing - the SME recruitment specialist- let’s talk.

You can always call me, Carmel Eastwood on 01284 277288 or 01252 517778 if you wish to discuss your recruitment plans and objectives.

About CJE Resourcing:

CJE Resourcing is a professional recruitment consultancy. Started in 1987 by Carmel Eastwood, we are proud to have been providing large enterprise and SME recruitment solutions for over 25 years. Our key clients are in Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire as well as the East Anglia counties of Suffolk and Norfolk. We offer an array of recruitment solutions designed to reach and attract the best temporary staff, longer term contractors as well as permanent staff. Our services include managing a temporary payroll and non-exclusive staffing recruitment. We also offer a search & selection service, usually managed on an exclusive basis. CJE has recently launched “eRecruit”, an extremely innovative, fixed fee recruitment solution specifically aimed at risk averse SME businesses.