Recruitment
It is important to list the skills your new hire will need to fulfill his duties. You get much better results in your recruitment process if you advertise specific criteria that are relevant to the job. Include all necessary skills, and include a list of desired skills that are not necessary but that would enhance the candidate’s chances. If you fail to do this, you might end up with a low-quality pool of candidates and wind up with limited choices to fill the open position.

Screening and Interview Process
Your screening process provides a vital opportunity for you to focus on what candidates can offer your company. It is important that you screen heavily, either by using your own judgment or by enlisting the help of managers you trust. The interviewer must know what the job is and what will be required for a new hire to perform well. The interview process also allows you the opportunity to express your company’s vision, goals and needs. It is vital that the interview elicits responses from applicants that can be measured against your expectations for the position. If you don’t use the interview to effectively eliminate applicants who don’t fit into your company culture, you might find yourself dealing with turnover, confusion and disgruntled employees.

Selection
When you choose a candidate based upon the qualifications demonstrated in the resume, the interview, employment history and background check, you will land the best fit for the position. Base your decisions about a specific candidate upon specific evidence rather than any gut instincts. If you hire people who can do the job instead of people you merely like, you will have higher productivity and quality in your products or services.

The Long Haul
Your goal in hiring responsible and reliable employees should be to make your small business profitable and efficient on a long-term basis. The recruitment and selection process is the time you not only identify a candidate who has the experience and aptitude to do the job that you are looking to fill, but also to find someone who shares and endorses your company’s core values. The candidate will need to fit in well within your company’s culture. Your selection and recruitment process should provide you with an employee who adapts and works well with others in your small business. Failure to recruit and select for the long term can result in high turnover.

Reputation
When you effectively recruit and select the right employee, there is a domino effect. Your new hire will do her job well. Employees will see that you make wise decisions. You will gain respect from your workforce, and you will get higher productivity as a result of that respect. This positive attitude will affect the quality of your products or services, and ultimately, your customers’ perceptions of your company.