Yvonne Saxon is our Head of HR, Diversity and Inclusion at Vista Employer Services. Yvonne took time out to pen a guest blog for our friends at Adam Recruitment, to help anyone responsible for HR in a fast growth SME with insight, advice and helpful tips. This is a must read if you’re involved in the SME sector.
So, you landed a fantastic HR job in an exciting growing SME! Your new role will give you the opportunity to get under the skin of a new business and put the right HR infrastructure in place. The real challenge will come as the Company begins to accelerate its ambitious growth plans, which is of course why they had the foresight to recruit a HR professional. So, what should you be thinking about to make a success of this?
Recruitment & Relationships
The obvious issue will be that of recruitment, to fill the roles that are going to support this growth and ensure that they truly align with the business’ future vision. To get this right will take some careful work. Looking at the company’s values, it’s goals and it’s strategies for the future with your stakeholders in order to design the right roles, that fit the organisation and its people is an essential first step. .
It’s likely that as a smaller unknown organisation you will have to work harder to attract talented people and will need to not only benchmark on salaries and benefits (and consider the future scalability of these), but also think creatively about what else you can offer and how to get your jobs noticed. This is where developing relationships with good recruiters is vital, they know the marketplace and can advise you on your strategy as well as use their knowledge of candidates who might not even be looking for a new role yet.
Spend lots of time looking at the best selection methods for the role, and even more time not just going through the process of selecting the candidates but really engaging with them. You want them to want you and be with you for the long run. Recruitment shouldn’t be rushed or done at a discount, as tempting as it may be when the business is running at speed and there are lots of other demands on time and cash.
Disclaimer: The information and advice provided in this blog are correct at the time of publishing. Employment law is subject to change, and while we strive to keep our content current and accurate, we recommend consulting with one of our legal professionals or checking the latest regulations via official sources for the most up-to-date information. Vista Employer Services is not responsible for any actions taken based on the information provided in this blog.