Before you begin
Taking on a new employee is a serious commitment, so think it through before placing that job ad.
Have you considered all your other options?
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promoting someone to the role from within your business
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changing ways of working so that other people cover the tasks
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training a staff member to take on the tasks
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getting temporary help from friends and family
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distributing the work amongst existing staff
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asking existing staff if they would be happy to take on extra hours
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taking on contract or temporary staff, especially if you only need someone for a short while.
Once you have decided to take on a new employee, think about how you can find the right employee. This involves writing the job description and a person specification.
Job description
Write a job description which includes:
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the job title
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the main purpose of the job
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the key tasks of the job
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the level of skill the job needs
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whether any training is necessary
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the education level and experience necessary
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the level of responsibility
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who the employee reports to
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the salary
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the location and the core hours.
Once you've clearly outlined the job itself, you can write a description of the ideal person who would fill the role - the person specification.
Person specification
Write a clear description of:
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the skills the person will need to carry out the work
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the qualifications they will have
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the personal qualities they must bring to the role - be particularly careful not to include any unnecessary quality, which may exclude people with disabilities.
Equal opportunities
Does your business encourage equal opportunities regardless of age, gender, race or religion? Equal opportunities are about more than complying with the law. If you don't employ a diverse workforce, then you could miss out on valuable skills and experience. So aim to attract applicants from a variety of groups and sections of society.
Make the information in your job description and person specification clear and justifiable.
Consider flexible working arrangements such as home working, term-time only, job-share, and providing facilities for a disabled person to join your organisation
Essential contacts
Equality Direct has a telephone advice service on 0845 600 3444, covering areas such as disability, race, sex, age and flexible working. www.equalitydirect.org.uk
The ACAS Advisory Service:018457 47 47 47
Employing people with a disability: www.intowork.org or www.remploy.co.uk
You can download Employing People with Conviction at the Criminal Records Bureau website: www.crb.gov.uk (click on 'Publications' and then 'Guidance') or call the CRB information line on 0870 9090811.
