1. Construct a powerful vision - People are drawn to businesses that know where they are going and have a plan for success. Craft an exciting vision for the future and communicate it to potential hires all the way through your recruitment process.



2. Make ?finding and keeping the right people' a priority - Make recruitment and retention a priority now and you will save time and money well into the future. The key is to focus your time on the right activities so that you deliver results quickly and consistently.

3. Develop your unique proposition as an employer - Why would talented people choose to work for your business? Like your products and services, you need to have a compelling message as an employer which makes you stand out from other employers against whom you are competing for people.

4. Be clear about the people you are looking for - This is not just a ?job spec' of skills and experiences you see on a CV ? but being very clear about the type of personal attributes you are looking for. So ask yourself ? what are the values, attitudes, the personality, level of ambition, the work ethic and work style that is right for your business?

5. Develop a low-cost, multi-channel attraction engine - The key is to search for people through multiple channels ? direct applications, referrals, advertising, recruitment agents and headhunting/poaching. To keep costs to a minimum, the priority is to become highly effective at attracting people for free through referrals and direct applications. Whether you have a vacancy or not you should always be looking.

6. Effectively interview and Select - Ensure your interviewing and selection methods are rigorous and thorough. Focus on assessing people objectively and fairly against the requirements of the role so that you minimise the chances of hiring the wrong people.

7. Sell the opportunity ethically and honestly - Learn to sell your vacancy in an ethical way that draws people to your business. Focus on understanding the needs of future employees and communicating your unique proposition. Being honest, ethical and never overselling an opportunity will ensure you not only find people ? but keep them.

8. Deliver a fantastic candidate experience - Businesses that succeed in treating potential staff like potential customers will always have more success in hiring the best people. Treating every applicant as an individual and making prompt decisions will determine your success ? as well as enhancing your overall brand and reputation in the marketplace.

9. Create systems to deliver consistent results - You should always be looking for people ? whether you have a vacancy or not. Setting up systems will ensure that the above activities happen consistently and automatically. That you continually attract the right kind of people all the time and without huge effort ? it will follow naturally!!

Is all this easy? Does it happen overnight? No it does not. It takes time, but the key is to make a start. So starting now, take a look at the above list and ask yourself what ONE thing can your business start changing right now? Once you start changing you will start to attract the right people into your business. Which in turn will create more time and money for you to spend on the business - as well as creating more time away from the away the business.

Copyright (c) 2007 Mr Sital Ruparelia