Getting the right staff is critical to the success of any business. But, finding the right staff can be a difficult process. This actually can be said to be twice as relevant when looking for admin staff, they are often central to the business.
In fact, the admin staff is often the only public face of a digital business. Whether you’re looking for new admin staff now or may want to in the future, you need these 6 tips to ensure you get the greatest candidates possible.
- Be Prepared
You need to be aware of what is going on in your marketplace, the latest trends for admin staff, and you’ll need to be up to date with the latest employment law. In fact, it’s advisable to seek out employment law support, if you don’t it’s just too easy to accidentally say the wrong thing and find you or your business in hot water!
- Throw A Wide Net
It’s quite simple, the greater the candidate base, the more likely it is that you’ll find the perfect fit for your business. This means advertising on the internet, through social media, local adverts, and even through word of mouth.
The more people that know you’re looking the better, it will improve the average quality of the applicants.
- Interview Technique
Who hasn’t been to an interview and been asked “where do you see yourself in 5 years?” or “Tell me your biggest strengths/weaknesses?”
These questions have some potential but you need to make the interview more relevant, it doesn’t need to be long. Give them questions that relate directly to the role they’ll be doing. You can even engage in some role play to judge their reaction under pressure.
It will give you a much better idea of how great they are.
- The Edge
The greatest admin staff has something that lifts them above the candidates. This may be something as visible as getting additional qualifications just because they can. It may also be something that is not so noticeable.
The more you allow the candidate to relax the easier it will be to see what they really have to offer.
- References
Everyone expects to provide references and you should always follow these up. However, you should also be aware that previous employers are not likely to make negative remarks about the candidate for fear of reprisals.
For this reason, you should keep the references questions simple, allowing the former employer to give a general response if they were less than impressed with the candidate.
Then you’ll need to read between the lines.
- Go With Your Gut
There’s a lot to be said for gut instinct. If you think they’ll be a good fit for your team then that’s a huge bonus. You can help this decision by introducing them to the team as part of the interview process.
Your team will provide honest feedback which can help you to make the right decision. With a little planning, you can get a great admin assistant and keep them!
