Read about the key stages of the recruitment process including writing an effective job advert, interviewing, onboarding, and retention, especially in the early weeks and months.
Writing an effective job advert:
Your vacancy, within a small or large team, needs to attract the right applicant, so writing a strong advert is key in this fast-moving job market.
- Clear job title – Will the job title be recognised by applicants? Try not to be too organisation specific.
- Grab the reader’s interest – Using a few key words in the first sentence will ensure the advert can be found by people searching for those parameters. Add the vacancy title, location and if it is full or part-time, ideally with the hours and days if known. This will save you lots of time later when shortlisting.
- Main duties of the role – List the top 5 duties in order of importance/time distribution using bullet points. The more detailed the better (unless you have a job spec to attach).
- Essential requirements – Be clear on the necessary qualifications, skills and experience.
- Salary – Save time by advertising the salary. 75% of jobseekers report to be discouraged from applying to a role with no salary. Try adding a range depending on experience and this will attract a greater number of applicants.
- Sell your practice/surgery/PCN – Highlight what makes your organisation a great place to work, company culture has a real candidate ‘pull’ so mention why it’s a great place to work. List your benefits so you can be competitive with other local businesses and promote any training or progression opportunities you can offer.
Primary Care Careers will proofread your advert and ensure any typos or errors are amended before advertising. We will make suggestions that will hopefully make your advert more attractive and we are very happy to create an advert for you if time is an issue!
Interviewing:
The most important part of your recruitment process is the interviewing. The true cost of a bad hire is not just the salary; it affects the whole team in terms of morale and productivity. Before any interview, it is essential to plan ahead:
- Pre-book the room/area, ensure privacy and a comfortable environment. If the interview is online, ensure your camera is set up and your background is neutral.
- Inform all the interviewers and if there is a panel, decide who will take the lead.
- Ensure the candidate’s application form and CV are to hand for all interviewers.
- Consider the interview style/structure and length – different interview styles work better for different types of roles. Situational or behavioural interviews using hypothetical questions can add value when previous experience would be beneficial.
- Have set questions ready but be flexible to allow for natural conversation. Ask open ended questions to ensure the best opportunity for an applicant to demonstrate their abilities.
- Skills and cultural fit – Consider the applicant’s experience and technical skills but also how they will fit within your culture and team. Assess soft skills – how they will interact with the wider team, consider emotional intelligence, teamwork or leadership depending on the role. Can any gaps be filled with training if the right attitude is displayed?
Onboarding:
Plan for your new starter’s first day/week/month to ensure you create a positive and lasting impression that shapes long-term employee engagement.
- Ensure all paperwork is done before day one – ID taken and contracts signed.
- IT/systems – Always an issue if not requested in time.
- Talk through the job in detail as it may have been weeks/months since they interviewed.
- Plan training – ensure you have a team member ready to buddy with the new starter.
- Have a daily, weekly and monthly plan for them so they feel confident in what is expected from them.
- Follow-up – Ensure regular check-ins to address concerns and improve the onboarding process.
Organisational culture:
A strong organisational culture is often the foundation of a successful organisation. Employees crave recognition, understanding and a sense of community, ensuring everyone feels connected.
- Communication – Needs to be consistent and clear as it builds trust and clarity among employees. Weekly meetings, noticeboard updates and feedback sessions are all good starting points.
- Employee recognition – Shout about and congratulate employees regarding training, qualifications achieved and anything that has been positive for the organisation. It boosts morale and encourages productivity.
- Professional development – ensure you provide learning opportunities. By investing in their future, employees are likely to remain with you for longer, increasing retention.
- Wellbeing initiatives/team bonding – Ask your employees what they would be interested in – suggestions may include walking groups, goat yoga, fitness challenges or bake off.
We hope this overview has been useful. Debbie has extensive experience and would be delighted to answer any recruitment questions – the team can be contacted on 01206 918760 or enquiries@eoeprimarycarecareers.nhs.uk. We look forward to hearing from you.
