The Ultimate Guide to Hiring the Right Employees in Singapore

Depending on the type of business model your company follows, and the specific parameters of your new employee’s role, you’ll need to follow a few steps to ensure that you are hiring correctly and effectively. 

• Before you hire, clearly define your job: Job analysis is essential. This kickoff step allows you to collect information from your internal organization about the roles, responsibilities, expectations, and necessary skills of a particular job. Once you have this information, you can communicate it to recruiters or directly with applicants in your posting. 

• Plan a recruitment strategy: Once you have a clearly defined job description, you should set up a recruiting planning meeting with your employees who will be in charge of hiring new staff. This step is usually facilitated by a hiring manager, who is crucial to the planning. 

• Put together a hiring checklist: Regardless of whether you are making your first hire, or your 500th, a checklist for hiring any employee helps you to keep track of all your recruiting efforts, saving time down the line.

• Look for the right candidate for the role: It’s possible to be left with a strong impression of a potential candidate for reasons other than their skills or personality. Hiring the right candidate involves checking every “must” off of your list, not just a few. 

• Review applications carefully: A cohesive and well-written job description (from you) will make the act of reviewing resumes, cover letters, and job applications all the more effective. Comparing applicants against a list of qualifications, skills, experience, and characteristics means that you’ll be able to have qualified talent come in for interviews.

• Save time by pre-screening applicants: Larger corporations typically have a full HR team who leads pre-screening interviews with candidates over the phone, but if it’s down to you, you’ll find that this step is critical for saving you time––and the time of the applicant. Plus, during pre-screens, you can determine whether their salary expectations align with your job. And if not, there is no need for a future interview.  

• Consider holding the job interview somewhere other than your desk: Chances are, you will find that candidates are much more at ease and natural when being interviewed outside of the imposing office environment. You don’t have to take them to lunch, but for a second or third interview, consider a non-conventional setting. 

• Be sure to ask the right questions: There’s no better step for gauging a potential hire’s qualifications than in the job interview. Depending on the needs of the role, and how potential answers will gibe with your office’s culture, posing the right question often means the difference between finding an average candidate and a great one. 

• Throw in a few curveballs: Without getting too personal, try to think outside of the box––beyond the standard job interview questions. See how potential new hires react to and engage with an unconventional line of inquiry. You’ll usually find that they are more at ease talking about something other than their career. 

• Always perform background checks and follow up with references: One of the most crucial steps in the entire process is checking work references––including former managers––educational credentials, employment references, and the criminal history of your preferred candidates. Never skip this final step.