Recruitment in London can be both challenging and expensive. It does not have to be. The first step in terms of a successful recruitment campaign in London involves finding job applicants, and then reducing their number until you are left with the right individual who fulfills your recruitment needs. Shortlisting applicants simply involves reducing the number of job applicants in order to obtain a selection of what you believe to be only high quality candidates to invite to interview. This is one of the best services offered by this website as most of the shortlisting will be done for you and you will therefore not need to spend a lot of your own time wading through large numbers of obviously unsuitable applications - streamlining your London recruitment process and making your life easier.

Deciding on the right number of candidates to interview is one of the most important decisions that you will make in your London recruitment campaign and is obviously up to you. In this regard you will need to consider two things:

• Where the interview will take place and what will be the easiest way for them to get there.
• What they would need to bring with them (passport, driving license, etc).
• Who they should ask for on arrival.
• Any other information (such as potential reimbursement for travel if offered)

Application Forms

It may be helpful to request candidates to fill out an application form before their actual interview. This is particularly useful if you have scheduled many interviews on the same day to occupy the candidates' time while they are waiting for their interviews.

• They provide a standardised mechanism to capture all the information you need from every candidate in a consistent way.
• You can decide exactly what information is needed.
• You more easily directly compare one candidate to another.
• They can uncover inaccuracies in a candidate’s CV.
• They can help to fill legal requirements. Registered employers in Northern Ireland, for example, are legally required to monitor the composition of those applying to fill vacancies if they employ more than ten full-time employees.

• Some applicants may be put off by having to give away too much information.
• There is the potential for some questions to be seen as being discriminatory even if this is not the intention (be careful about questions asking candidates if they are married or have any children).
• Candidates may not have all the information directly available at the time of interview.

Interviewing Candidates

• Start by welcoming the candidate. Be friendly yet assertive.
• Make the necessary introductions (of whoever is present).
• Outline the structure and procedure for the interview.
• Give a brief description of the available position.
• Begin asking the candidate questions aimed at releasing the necessary information.
• Keep to the pre-planned structure of the interview. Stay in control and don’t let the candidate stray off topic.
• Purposefully introduce silences in order to allow both yourself and the candidate time to reflect on what has been said.
• Offer the candidate the opportunity to ask questions.
• Describe the next steps in the process - any tests, seconds interviews, potential trial days, etc.

It is highly important to prepare in advance the structure of the interview and what you will ask each candidate. Interviewers who attempt to “make it up as they go along” more often than not look unprofessional and end up not gaining all the information they require to make their decisions. This ultimately results in an unsuccessful recruitment campaign in London. Allocating different questions to different people will ultimately yield different results which may make deciding between people even more difficult. It is therefore a good idea to a have a standardised list of questions to ask each candidate.

Interviewers should make interviewees as comfortable and relaxed as possible in order to give the interviewees the best possible opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and what they can offer to your business. Give interviewees the chance to settle in to the interview and feel as though they can have a conversation with you.

“What are your strengths?”
This gives candidates the opportunity to show off what they believe they are good at and how these strengths can move your business forward.

“What are your weaknesses?”
This is designed to give you an idea of how well the interviewees take criticism, how honest they are, and how well they learn from their mistakes. It is not an opportunity for an interviewee to turn a negative into a positive by saying something in the region of “I am often too careful and consciousness and while this means it may take me longer to do certain things it means that they are always done perfectly and my work is always of a high standard.” Interviewees have the chance to demonstrate their potential for success in London and highlight their strengths in other parts of the interview and recruitment campaign and this question gives you an opportunity to put them under pressure and discover their real potential.

“What did you most dislike about your previous job?”
This gives you an impression of the candidate’s suitability to your business as these elements of their previous job which they disliked may be incorporated into the position which you are offering. Additionally, this question offers you the opportunity of discovering if the candidate has any issues (such as issues being managed) which may cause problems within your business later on and ultimately lead to another London recruitment campaign!

“Where would you like to be in five year’s time?”
This will give you an understanding of how well the candidate realistically knows your business and the job you have advertised, as well as providing you with an understanding of the candidate’s ambitions and motivations. Additionally, you will also be able to ascertain how long the candidate is likely to remain in your business and what they are likely to be able to offer in the future.

Scenarios and Examples

Another useful technique which you can employ to gain the most relevant information from your interviewees within the context of your London recruitment campaign is to provide the interviewee with a scenario related to the position on offer and have them work their way through this scenario detailing what they would do and why. Alternatively, the interviewer could ask the interviewee to give an example related to a specific work-objective which is very useful in determining whether the levels of experience which the candidate claims to have are accurate and relevant to the needs of your business.

Always remember to ask interviewees about their future availability, when they can start working for you, and any holidays which they have already booked.

Interpreting body language

Body-language and its interpretation can be a powerful tool for the interviewer and, if used correctly, could be valuable within the context of recruitment in London. Interviewers should, however, be careful not to place too much emphasis on forms of non-verbal communication, particularly because this form of communication is both difficult to record and agree on and could lead to successful discrimination claims on the part of the interviewee (especially if they claim that they cannot control various movements or postures, or have a disability).

Therefore body language interpretation should only be used in conjunction with what is actually said, and a London recruitment campaign in general, in order to attempt to gain a more accurate perception of the information obtained in the interview.

Widely agreed forms of non-verbal communication and their meanings include:

Consistent eye contact
This usually means the listener is interested in what the speaker is saying and also indicates confidence on the listener’s behalf. If the listener, however, is fiddling while making eye contact it could mean that his or her attention is fixed on something else and he or she is not interested in what is being said, or does not understand the information obtained.

Averted eye contact
This usually indicates disinterest in the conversation on the listener’s part; that the listener is unconfident or anxious; or that the listener is not entirely convinced as to the accuracy of the message being delivered.

Persistent touching of the face
This often means that the person concerned is either lying or withholding information.

Crossing the arms across the chest
Most experts believe that this indicates that the individual is putting up an unconscious barrier between him or herself and the other person. This could indicate hostility, anxiety, or disagreement. In terms of an interviewee, it could mean that the individual is being defensive, confrontational, is anxious, or unconfident.

Persistent fiddling and moving around
Usually this indicates anxiety on the part of the individual concerned and could indicate that the individual is lying or does not really believe in the words that are coming out of his or her own mouth (and is therefore becoming increasingly anxious).

Recording Interviews

This can be done in a variety of ways and is imperative to ensure that you have all the information gained through the interview to help you make your decision afterwards and thus lead to success in terms of your recruitment in London.

The simplest method is to simply make brief notes during the interview about the candidate and his or her responses to your questions. This method, however, is very time-consuming and may take your concentration off the candidate. This is another reason why designing a clear and consistent structure for the interview is so important for your recruitment campaign in London.

A useful technique is to create a checklist consisting of all the pre-planned questions which you will ask with a series of boxes to check-off based on the candidate’s response - such as a box for “Good”, “Bad”, “Average”, and so on. It is also a good idea to include rating mechanisms for the candidate’s non-verbal input - such as scoring related to the candidate’s demonstrated enthusiasm, confidence, communication abilities, appearance, and social Interactional skills.

Using technology to record the interview is by far the most accurate method but this should always be done in accordance with Data Protection and other laws and regulations. Candidates should always be told that the interview will be recorded, and asked for their consent. The advantages of these methods are that there is a lasting record of all that was said or done in the interview by both parties. It provides further advantages to a recruitment campaign in London as it is a way to prove to outside parties what was or was not said in the interview (useful in terms of potential discrimination claims, etc). Candidates may, however, be put off by the knowledge that the interview will be recorded and this may make them nervous or reluctant to disclose information in full.

Do not record any of your own subjective thoughts, beliefs, or opinions about the candidate. Candidates are able to request copies of any records made during an interview if they were to later make a complaint to an employment tribunal. Additionally, you may need the records yourself for defending possible discrimination claims made by the candidate. All data stored after the interview should be directly relevant to the recruitment process and should be stored as securely as possible. Only allow people directly involved to access this information.

Further Narrowing Down Candidates

Once you have interviewed candidates, you will need to further reduce their number until you are left with the right person and can finally draw your London recruitment campaign to a close. This is not always easy as many candidates may seem equally as good for your business. In this regard, it is often a good idea to utilise forms of testing to specifically quantify the unique potential of the various candidates. A typing test after an interview, for example, would enable you to put a specific score on various candidates in relation to their typing abilities which could help you to decide who is best for the job on offer.

Directly testing a candidate’s potential will always yields more conclusive results than simply having candidates talk about themselves. The following should, however, not be the sole method of assessing a candidate’s potential in terms of recruitment in London and should be specifically designed to not discriminate against any type of candidate.

Psychometric testing refers to any standardized procedure for measuring memory, aptitude, intelligence, or personality. As the definition implies, utilising such methods can help employers see beyond the CV's of applicants and could potentially help employers to obtain information that even the most detailed interview techniques could not. Employers should be careful to ensure that any psychometric testing performed within the context of recruitment in London will fall within legal boundaries and is performed by qualified professionals only.

• Ability tests which measure an individual’s potential in general.
• Aptitude tests which measure an individual’s potential in specific areas.
• Personality tests which attempt to quantify an individual’s general personality characteristics.

• The fact that people may manipulate their answers in order to make a more favourable impression, and such testing is therefore inaccurate and invalid.
• Even if accurate, they are not always a good indicator of future potential.
• The value gained is not worth the great expense required to hire consultants.

• They are usually extremely accurate.
• They are able to provide an all-round perspective on candidates.
• They are conducted by professionals and therefore fully compliant in terms of the law and anti-discrimination policies.
• They are able to lead to a conclusive answer concerning who to employ.

• They are extremely time-consuming.
• They are expensive.
• They are often responsible for putting good candidates off due to fear or the length of time involved.

Coming to a decision

It is essential to always keep in mind that you are recruiting someone to help move your business forward and fulfil your business needs. For small business owners in particular, it can be tempting to recruit people simply because they are similar to and get on well with the business owner/manager. However, job holders should bring something extra to the business and compliment the other existing employees with skills, abilities, and experience which is unique to them.

On the other hand there is always the chance that you will not be entirely happy with any of the candidates you have interviewed and may be tempted to make the best of a bad situation by employing the most suitable candidate out of all of them. However, in today’s employment environment it is becoming increasingly difficult to get rid of an employee for anything other than an extremely good and valid reason and simply not being entirely happy with their personality-job fit may not be regarded as an appropriate reason by an employment tribunal.

It is therefore essential that the right person is employed right from the beginning. In situations where you are not entirely happy with any of the candidates it may be a good idea to continue the London recruitment campaign while leaving the position vacant or getting someone to fill the position on a temporary basis. Recruitment agencies sometimes specialise in exactly this sort of thing and may be a good solution in desperate circumstances.

New Starter Checklist

• Register with HM Revenue and Customs as an employer (see their website for more information or call their helpline on 0845 60 70 143).
• Once you have registered you will receive a New Employer Starter Pack which will guide you through the process of hiring a new employee. This pack contains all the information and forms you will need to record the new employee’s details, and work out the new employee’s tax, national insurance, or student loan deductions. The pack also contains information and guidance on what to do if the employee does not have a P45.
• Check whether you would need to take out employer’s liability insurance.
• Make a written offer of employment in accordance with equal opportunities regulations and the Employment Rights Act 1996.
• Provide a written statement of employment within two months of the employee starting work.
• Issue the employee with a formal contract outlining the terms and conditions of employment.
• Verify the employee’s academic, personal, and employment references.
• Verify the employee’s right to work in the UK.
• Have the employee undertake a company medical examination if necessary.
• Obtain and securely store copies of all the relevant documents - passports, visas, personal information forms, emergency contact details, training certificates, and so on.
• Obtain and correctly process the employee's P45 or P46 (copies of the P46 form are obtainable from HM Revenue and Customs Website).
• Obtain the employee’s NI number (if the employee does not have an NI number keep a record of his or her name, date of birth, address, and gender and ask the employee to make an appointment at their local Jobcentre Plus).
• Ensure the new employee attends an induction and is made fully aware of all relevant company policies, particularly those relating to health and safety, disciplinary matters and procedures, absenteeism, and IT policies.

Recruitment in London. Use our free CV search tool to find excellent CV's