Employers need to ensure that the right people with the right skills are recruited for roles within the organisation. 

Research has shown that businesses who first employed the right people, in the right role before focusing on business strategy were more successful. 

As Jim Collins, in his book "Good to Great" said:

"Look, I don't really know where we should take this bus. But I know this much: If we get the right people on the bus, the right people in the right seats, and the wrong people off the bus, then we'll figure out how to take it someplace great." 

How can employers try to ensure they hire the right people? 

  1. They should create a job specification; and
  2. They should also a person specification; and
  3. Ensure that the vision and values of the business match those of the candidate

It is easy to reuse documents which already exist but I recommend that these are always reviewed and updated as the focus of the business may have changed and the requirement for the role may have shifted.

The job description should cover the main purpose and objectives of the job, the place of the job holder in the organisational structure, the main tasks and responsibilities of the job holder and any associated tasks.

The person specification should detail the experience, know-how and qualifications, skills, abilities and behavioural attributes necessary for the job in question. The requirements can be split between those which are "essential" for the job and those which are merely "desirable".

In addition to these, employers should think about the mission and or the values of the business and ensure that the person selected shares those same values and is as passionate about the success of the business as it is.  

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.