The transport and logistics sector has always been one of the most competitive and dynamic sectors in which to work. Today, that is still very much the case. Whilst the strategy behind winning contracts and maintaining core business is at the heart of any continuity and growth, the single most important aspect will always be the staff.

Getting the right staff on board is as equally competitive a marketplace as anything else in the industry. It is for this reason that the whole transport recruitment process is critical to success. Making the right decision over who to put in place can result in profits and increased market share. Making the wrong decision could similarly see the opposite.

When recruiting a new member of staff, the process should start with a defined target as to what will be required of the person. These agreed upon, questions centred on these skills should be included into the application form, and should play a major role in any interview process.

It is a good approach to seek the guidance of the outgoing member of staff, where practical. However, whether this is at a low level, in providing advice to the interviewing team or playing a more active role in the search and selection process, or helping conduct interviews is a decision which needs to be taken internally.

In any transport recruitment process, it is important that as many viable channels are used as possible. The Internet is an obvious place to start of course, but more traditional channels should also be given serious consideration. Local newspapers may work for example, whilst partnering with the JobCentre Plus can achieve results.

The channels that the positions are advertised in very much depends on the position being recruited for. For example, a director level appointment will most likely require advertising in key national press pages, and industry specialists. Likewise, certain managerial positions will also need similar approaches.

However, other roles, of a more manual and temporary nature in particular, should most likely not need as widespread coverage. Minimising an advertising campaign too much though, could allow potential candidates to slip through the net though, resulting in costly delays.

Such are the many variables that can affect transport recruitment today, it is often sensible to work with dedicated professionals. Working with recruitment agents with proven experience allows the decision makers to focus their efforts on the interview stage, rather than the critical but time consuming screening process.

They will also be able to contribute to and enact the decisions made with how widespread the advertising process should be. Drawing on their experience and the skill sets of the individual consultants working for them, they will be able to manage the operation without the risk of any delays or risk viable candidates being missed.

Possibly the biggest single area where specialist transport recruitment agencies can really come into their own is with the speed they can fill vacancies. With job seekers registering with them constantly, they are likely to be able to forward suitable candidates, that have been screened, checked and validated within hours of taking the instruction.

Daniel has many years’ worth of experience in transport recruitment and has helped many companies with their recruitment needs.