Like most people who run their own small business, I have two quite distinct roles – I’m a homeopath of course, but I have an equally important role as a small business manager. A four- year course at homeopathy college equipped me to be an effective clinician, but when I started in practice over five years ago, I never imagined I’d have to learn so many different business skills (business planning, website design, advertising, print design, contracts, IT, budgets and cash flow, book-keeping...). Luckily for me, I love the challenge of learning new skills – which is just as well, because this week I had just two days in which to learn how to conduct staff recruitment interviews. Eeek!

I’d already drafted the job description and person specification, so I knew the skills we were looking for, but we’d had over 30 applicants, so it wasn’t going to be easy to pick the right person for the job. The first sort-out was straightforward – the applications of people who’d ignored the clear instructions about how to apply were put to the bottom of the pile, because the ability to carefully follow detailed instructions is a pretty important aspect of the job we’re recruiting for.

We drew up a shortlist of candidates, referring back to the person specification to check the key skills. There were a few candidates who seemed to have most of the essential skills (and many of the desirable skills) we were looking for, so we’d invited them along for an interview. But then what? It struck me that they’d already know about the job (from the job description), and I already knew a lot about their skills (from their applications), but what I really needed to know was how they’d perform in the job – how would they cope with busy periods when phones are ringing, the door buzzer’s going, and patients are demanding attention, all at the same time? Would they understand about the need for absolute discretion and respect for confidentiality? Would they turn up on time, be easy to get along with, professional and efficient?

Interviewers with training and experience might easily be able to tell, but I realised last week that with my lack of experience of recruiting, selecting the right candidate would be rather a lottery, so I decided I’d better learn a proper recruitment interviewing method, and fast! As a result, I asked a friend who works in recruitment for some tips, and I also spent Thursday evening tapping away at my pc, whizzing through a LearnDirect online recruitment course, trying to master the basics of behavioural interviewing, and I’m happy to say that the interviews went really well.

By finding help, I managed to move from how I felt on Wednesday – vaguely anxious, and uneasy that I didn’t have a concrete plan, structure or technique for the job interviews, to how I felt on Friday morning – prepared, calm and confident, with a checklist of key behavioural criteria I was looking for in my ideal candidate, and a clear idea of how I was going to proceed. So the next time you feel anxious, stressed or uneasy, why not take some time to reflect and ask yourself what’s bothering you, and then get help? The chances are that solutions might be available, even if only to help you cope with a difficult situation.

For more information about how homeopathy may be able to help you find solutions to concerns that are worrying you, or that are affecting your health and wellbeing, visit www.phoenixhomeopathy.com.

Disclaimer: Any views or advice in this weblog should not be taken as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, especially if you know you have a specific health complaint. Prescribed medication should not be stopped or varied without conventional medical advice. Please remember that homeopathic remedies and other health measures should be individually-selected to match the whole person, not just the unwelcome symptom. Seek professional advice rather than self-prescribing if your complaint is chronic, severe or long-standing, or if you are pregnant, elderly or on orthodox medications.