The summer holidays – along with the festive break – are traditionally the times for people to start looking for a change of job and there is always plenty of advice for those seeking recruitment. But what about those doing the recruiting?
Recruitment is a vital cog of any business or organisation. Get it wrong and you could be faced with a failing department or even worse business, however, get it right and you will reap the rewards of a skilful and dedicated team that will take your business to the next level.
The process has changed over time with the internet now playing a predominant role and making things more accessible, but the importance of finding the right people for the right role has not diminished.
Finding the right candidate in such a specialised industry such as golf can be a hard task, especially for the busy PGA Professional, Club Manager or Secretary, who may not have much experience in recruitment.
Jill Perkins, Director of Pulse Golf Recruitment, the golf-specific employment experts, has assisted a wide range of golf facilities and businesses recruit staff and has vast experience in finding the perfect match.
“Matching the personality and skill is the key to getting recruitment right,” said Jill. “From a very early stage in the process you should be gauging personality. When you begin drawing up a job description or advert you should establish the kind of person you’re looking for. When companies enlist our help in filling a vacancy, that is the first thing we do. In our very first conversation with a client we take the time to find out what sort of person they are looking for and what they want to gain from filling that role.
“These basic human connections are what we look to glean, while a specific job description and club/company ethos are also added into the scenario.”
The interview stage is where decisions are made, where you will be able to fully gauge a person’s skills and personality and whether or not they will fit into your business and help you drive it forward.
It’s obvious that interviews are a nerve-racking experience for the interviewee, but it can also be difficult for those posing the questions – what to ask, how to respond to answers and how to make a judgement are all elements that might not come naturally.
Through her years of experience Jill has established a check list she uses during interviews. “Have an aide mémoire to identify the candidate – for example ‘looks like the neighbour, pink shirt, very tall,’ there is nothing worse than tying to remember who is who later on,” she said.
“Prepare a list of questions prior to the interview, have some simple openers to put everyone at ease, but this also to give you a feeling for them. Ask about current/last employment, aims and aspirations, consolidation and summary of their career.
“Each candidate will answer differently so use the answers to provide a direct comparison between them. At the end of each interview, review it, evaluate each candidate and make your selection.
“The interview is a tricky scenario, it is often the intangible that swings it and the key to successful interviewing is to tap into that and not get too hung up on qualifications and what’s on paper, but take everything into account.”
Pulse Golf Recruitment offers no-obligation advice to golf facilities, companies and individuals looking for employment assistance.