Recruiting staff can be one of the biggest challenges an employer faces and having the right people around to assist with the smooth running of your yard is essential. So where do you start when you want to recruit a new member of staff?
The first thing to consider is whether your business can afford another member of staff. If you aren’t taking on anyone additionally but are replacing someone who is leaving, ensure that you factor in any pay differences and consider how much you are willing to pay in order to recruit someone with the appropriate skills and experience.
Once you have decided to go ahead and advertise your role, you will need to create a job description and write your advert.
Here some top tips for writing an advert that attracts the right applicants:
- Clearly state the salary and hours to be worked (make sure that these comply with NMW legislation)
- Provide a brief description of the role making sure that the core duties are included.
- List any essential requirements that applicants must have, such as qualifications or experience.
- Highlight any perks or benefits such as opportunities to ride, travel, or bring your own horse
- Explain how potential applicants can apply and provide your contact information
With any luck, your advert will have attracted several applicants, and you will now need to choose which of these to interview. The best way to do this is to compare the applications against the job description and draw up a shortlist of those who have the required skills and experience. You will then need to notify any unsuccessful applicants before inviting those on your shortlist to an interview.
Knowing what to ask during an interview and how to assess candidates, can feel just as daunting for the person conducting the interview as it is for the person being interviewed. By preparing your questions in advance using the EEA Interview Creator you can be assured that your interview has been designed fairly, and transparently whilst getting the most out of your candidates.
After the interview process is complete, read your notes carefully. If you were interviewing with another person, compare your notes and talk through your impressions of each candidate. You will have already decided on the qualifications or experience that you were looking for from your new team member, but if a candidate impresses you with other skills you might decide to change your priorities.
Give yourself time to make the right decision, but make sure you do so within the time frame candidates are expecting to hear from you.
Once you have made your decision, you can then go ahead and offer your preferred candidate the job. When you do, remember, it is vital to ensure that they have a written contract on or before, their first day of employment. For more tips and advice, join the Equestrian Employers Association and get access to all the tools you need to make recruitment easy!