If you're a hiring manager or a HR consultant, you know exactly how crucial each step of the recruitment process is. We've collected some interesting articles for you on several steps of the process.

The job description: will it get the people you want?

Before you begin your advertising campaign, it's a good idea to get a second opinion on your job description. Forbes' article, "Sometimes A Job Badly Done Is The Job Description's Fault", illustrates the importance of a good job description:

"Usually when employees fail to fulfill the expectations their job descriptions raise, their superiors work with them to improve their performance. If that fails, they are sent packing. Such firings--and all the hurt feelings, wasted time and tried patience that accompany them--aren't always avoidable, but leaders shouldn't overlook the part the job description can play. Sometimes it's the job description that should be sent packing, not the employee."

This article suggests some ways you can 'fix' your job descriptions to ensure you get the right person for the job. For example, you could get the employee leaving the role to write the job description themselves.

The job interview: do you know how to answer a candidate's questions?

It's important to know what sort of questions candiates may ask about the company in an interview. Workforce.com's article, "200 Questions Job Candidates May Ask Your Company", has an exhaustive list which offers insight into the variety of questions you may be faced with.

Making a decision: are there other factors influencing your choice?

Are you sure you want to hire a candidate because of they have the right skills? Or do you want to hire them simply because they were the last candidate you interviewed?

Personnel Today's article, Later interviews give candidates the X Factor, looks at a report done on X factor candidates and its implications for the recruitment process.

"In a job interview process a very good applicant who is the second or third interviewee seen, may be less likely to get the job because he/she is less likely to be remembered than the later candidates," said report author Lionel Page. "This is both unfair for the candidate and inefficient for the organisation which may not select the best candidate for the post."