Redwood's Top 5 Pitfalls to Avoid When Hiring Staff

Not being clear about the business need

This one is the key! There is NO other reason to recruit somebody into your business. If you are unsure why you need to hire somebody how will you ever find the right person for the job? Knowing the business need in detail will allow you to be specific about what you are looking for in a candidate. Don't just recruit to replace, establish if that exact need still exists in your business and if it doesn't, don't recruit for it.

Not getting help at the outset

Consider this - if you're not sure, or don't know, what you're doing, what do you think the probability of success is? Now think of a task - it might be making a cup of tea, or building an extension on your house or driving a car or recruiting someone - and apply that same logic to it. Knowing what you're doing helps, right?

Relying on your 'gut'

Ever made a decision that someone is 'really nice' (or that you'd 'get on with them') within the first 5 minutes of meeting them only to be disappointed and sometimes shocked to discover that your gut feeling about them was all wrong? Don't be embarrassed, 85% of us do just that, and when we're interviewing people too. Interviews are all about fact-finding and data gathering not about gut feelings. Gut feelings can get you into a whole heap of trouble!

Asking the wrong questions

Ask questions that are pertinent to the role you are seeking to fill. Steer clear of personal questions and don't ask any more than one or two open questions in an interview, stick to questions that will give you data and facts upon which you can make an objective decision.

Not issuing contracts of employment

Put simply not issuing a contract of employment to your new recruit within 2 calendar months of them starting to work for you means that you are breaking the law. Contracts of employment do not need to be complicated or full of legalese that no-one can understand but they will help you more than they will hinder you so please, please do not omit to issue one!

So, there you have our top 5 pitfalls to avoid when hiring staff. To be honest we had a list of about 30 to choose from so whittling them down was no small task!

Don't forget that if you need help with HR you only have to ask. Given UK employment law it is far better to ask first and avoid pitfalls rather than try to deal with something later when your options are far more limited.