Employing people | Recruitment

When you decide to employ someone, you need to determine what you want the employee to do and what skills you require from them. Also consider:

• employment conditions
• level of pay
• other costs of employment, including training needs, new equipment and facilities.

Prepare a job description that defines the responsibilities and functions of the job. This will help you identify the knowledge, experience and skills required for the job.

When you advertise a job remember that, by law, you must not use discriminatory language that may exclude potential employees on the basis of race, colour, sex, sexual preference, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, family or carer's responsibility, pregnancy, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin.

Your recruitment process will be most successful if you know how to:

• advertise
• interview
• select the right applicant
• prepare and document a formal offer of employment.

The Fair Work Ombudsman's website has information about what to consider when hiring new staff , as well as a range of template letters and records to assist you when employing staff.