If you want to hire a gardener without stress, you need to make sure that you prepare for the process. And that starts a lot earlier than at the moment you are interviewing people for your new gardening role. Follow the below steps to set up an efficient recruitment process, so that you can hire a new gardener without stress!
Know What You Need
The first step to hire a gardener without stress is to understand what you need. There are quite a few key points in the process of hiring a gardener, that can cause stress. One of the first ones can be receiving an overload of applications, once you have put your job advert out for people to apply to.
One of the reasons for unsuited people applying might be because your job spec is too vague. It really is a must to be very clear about the job, the tasks and the salary on the job specification already. Otherwise, you will notice that anyone with even the vaguest relevance to gardening might apply.
And believe us when we say, it can be extremely time-consuming – and therefore potentially stressful – having t go through so many applications. So how to avoid this level of stress so early on in the process? Make sure you structure your job specification clearly.
There really is no point to hide things like salary. It actually is of extreme importance! The salary will be one of the first things applying gardeners will look at. So if you are not giving at least an indication of this, you might attract candidates outside of your budget. Or you might miss out on people who would be very suited – but didn’t know if the salary would match their needs!
So make sure your job spec is clear and complete. Be clear on the tasks the gardener should be doing. The hours of work. The salary, and a start date too. It is ok to give an indication of salary, if you have a minimum and maximum, for example. But you definitely should mention as much as you can, to keep things clear and efficient!
Understand The Process
A second way to hire a gardener without stress is to understand the full process. Do you know how the recruitment process for a new gardener works? If this is the first time you have ever hired a gardener, then yes – it can definitely be stressful! To it really helps if you know the different stages of recruitment, to not get any stress from trying to hire a gardener.
Job Specification
It all starts with a job spec. As above, make sure this is a clear and exact description of the job. Once you have done that, you can post the job spec on different channels. You can use social media such as Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. Which nowadays is a popular medium for recruitment. You can also look at specific Facebook groups. Either a group in your area or one for gardeners specifically.
Recommendations
You can also use recommendations. Perhaps someone in your local network is familiar with gardeners that might be suited for you. Or the can recommend someone.
Selection, Interviews, References
So once you have people applying for your job, the real work starts. Time to select CVs, interview, and check references! It is really important to check references when you are recruiting. references will give you a really good indication of what someone’s previous experience is. And it’s also an important step in making sure the person is who they say they are. And their CV is correct!
Trials and job offers
If all goes well, you might have one or several candidates you like. You could consider offering a trial. This again is a great way to get to know the gardeners better and see if they might be suited for the job. Once you have made the decision, it is job offer time! You want to be very clear in your communication. So that there will be no surprises for the gardeners or wrong expectations.
Use An Agency For Less Stress
Does all of this sound stressful to you already? We completely understand! Finding and hiring a new member of staff can be a challenging process. That’s where agencies can come in to help you. An agency will take all the hard work away from you. From the creation of the job spec to the selection, setting up interviews and even arranging job offers. If you are short on time or do not want to get all that stress, an agency can be an excellent solution.
How Can Polo & Tweed Help?
Would you prefer a stress-free process when you are looking to hire a gardener? Polo & Tweed can help! We have many years of experience in the industry, and will indeed be able to take all the stress and hard work away from you. Why not speak to one of our recruitment consultants today to discuss what you are looking for. And we look forward to getting started for you!