The Most Common Recruiting Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
According to some research , a bad hire could cost your business up to $240,000. That’s why it’s so crucial that recruiters try to refine their process and avoid making costly mistakes whenever possible.
Bad hires will happen now and then, but there are ways to minimize the risk of making one. Recruiters might make some common mistakes, whether they’ve been in the field for two or twenty years.
Keep reading, and we’ll tell you about what mistakes to look out for and how to avoid them to ensure that you have recruiting success.
Not Focusing on Skill Set
Many recruiters will look at experience and education and check for skills. But experience and education aren’t nearly as necessary as the candidate’s skills to complete their job well.
It might be challenging to assess their skills just by looking at their experience, so you’ll have to develop good interview questions to gauge their soft and hard skills.
One time where recruiters can do this is during an employment screening. You can easily find out if their resume is accurate or ask them any questions you have about their resume.
There are also some skill assessments that you can send the applicant, but you’ll need to know how to read the results. If you’re going to make a candidate take this test, make sure that you look at the results; otherwise, you could make a bad hire.
Not Using Technology
Many recruiters might be stuck in their old ways and not use technology. However, technology can streamline the recruiting process and automate some processes so you can focus on hiring great talent.
For example, you might want to get an applicant tracking system (ATS) to store resumes and organize all of the candidates’ information. You can run background checks, store assessments, and other information with this type of system.
You may also want to use machine learning software to help you source ideal candidates for the perfect jobs. Once you find a list of top talent that you want to source for the position, you can have this tool send out automated emails to recruit those candidates.
Other tools, like scheduling software, interview platforms, and niche job boards, will help you find the best candidates.
Writing Bad Job Postings
Before you post a job posting on traditional job boards, make sure you know what position you’re hiring for. If you’re hiring for a software developer, do your research to make sure you know what types of software they’ll be developing.
Nothing will turn job seekers off more than realizing that you don’t even know the details about the job.
Putting out an accurate job description will attract better candidates. You need to outline the responsibilities rather than the type of person you’d like to hire.
It would be best to meet with the hiring manager and human resources team to create a strategy and write a job posting that gives you the right fit. You can identify what a week would look like in a specific job. You’ll need to know what skills or degrees a candidate needs to have to qualify.
You should gather as much information as possible. This way, you can iron out any problems before you start interviewing.
Not Screening Candidates
Some recruiters will do a resume screening without contacting the candidates. But you need to screen the resume while also holding a phone or video screen if applicable.
For example, some recruiters will look at a gap in employment as a disqualification. However, talking with the candidate might help you understand why they have that gap. They might’ve had some personal problems, and they could still be a great candidate with all the skills you’re looking for.
Even a fifteen-minute phone screen could help you identify if candidates are a good fit. For example, you can assess their communication skills, experience, education, hours, salary requirements, and much more.
If you don’t have the time for a phone screen, you might want to consider having chatbots interview you. However, it might also be beneficial to have candidates send you a video interview.
Not Being Transparent
Nothing will turn off a candidate faster than realizing that they were strung along or lied to. It would help if you never were unclear or intentionally misleading about the job. If you portray the wrong traits, skills, or experience employees need, you could potentially make a bad hire.
Before you start the hiring process with someone, tell them exactly what skills your ideal candidate would have. That way, they can assess to figure out if they’d be the right candidate or not.
It would help to let them know what your recruitment process is. If you have five rounds of interviews, be upfront about that at the beginning. If you’re transparent with them and communicate well, the candidate is more likely to trust you and not panic.
Ignoring Company Culture
According to one survey , 1 in 10 people said they made a bad hire because the hiring team didn’t communicate the company culture to the candidates.
Companies looking to the future are looking for people to add to their culture rather than finding someone who will fit into their culture. You’ll need to look for people who align with your company’s mission and core values.
Otherwise, this will stop your organization from growing, and the employee might even leave if they don’t feel like they fit in.
Not Asking for Help With Recruiting
Another mistake that some recruiters make is not knowing when to ask for extra help. If you find that you’re constantly falling behind and can never catch up, you might need to reach out for some external help.
That’s where Recruiter.com comes in. We have professional networks of recruiters that you can hire on an as-needed basis to help you with an extra heavy hiring load. We also have advanced talent pipeline software to help you find the perfect candidate.
If either of these solutions would be best for your recruiting process, contact us today !
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