Are you making these six mistakes when recruiting potential employees?
Want to make sure that you hire the right people for your business? Make sure you avoid these six recruiting mistakes!
If you’re a business owner, then you may have needed to fire an employee – a task most people dread. If this happens, not only do you have the unpleasantness of telling someone they are fired, but you need to recruit to replace them. Which is a hassle and an expense you probably don’t need or want.
Surely it’s much better to hire the right people in the first place, and save yourself the stress and cost? Of course, this is easier said than done! But to help you find the perfect employees, here are six mistakes you want to avoid when recruiting.
1) Not creating an accurate business description
Creating your branding story is a skill that not many possess. If you don’t know how to attract passive candidates, you need to get with professionals to create a marketing strategy. Without effective branding of your business, you won’t attract the talent you need.
2) Placing more value on education than skills
If you haven’t learned it yet, a degree does not always mean a particular candidate is the best fit for the job. Instead of basing your decision solely on education, incorporate skill testing with the interview. Skills testing helps you to determine if the applicants’ skills match what their resumes claim. Keep this in mind when choosing suitable applicants to interview, don’t always focus solely on degrees.
3) Hiring too quick
We all know that currently, business owners are having trouble hiring competent people. So they may be willing to compromise and hire the first person they interview instead of waiting for the right fit. If you do this, you are asking for trouble. The company wastes more time and money in training the wrong person instead of waiting for the right person.
Instead of hiring someone right off the bat, make sure to discuss the aspects of the job and what you expect from them. Listen to what they say and how they behave to get an idea of who they are and what they can bring to the company to determine who is the best fit.
In today’s challenging hiring landscape, business owners should also consider leveraging technology to streamline their recruitment process. Implementing a recruitment management system can help you efficiently track candidates, manage interviews, and evaluate their fit for your organization.
4) Relying too much or too little on references
There are many reasons why references are essential such as validating their employment and confirming details. While you should consider both the positive and negative experiences, don’t base your decision solely on them. We’ve all had negative job experiences, and if we were judged only by those, we would remain unemployed.
Instead, talk about what caused the negative experiences. Some people just aren’t the right fit for specific jobs. Talking through the negatives and positives will help to make an informed decision. For this reason, it is essential to embrace new recruiting methods that don’t rely so much on a scorecard. Plenty of employees get fired without cause or recover after making a mistake.
5) Asking predictable questions
In almost every interview you go to, they ask the same boring questions. What are your strengths and your weaknesses? Most people already have those answers decided before they walk in the door. This is why employers get pretty much the same answers every time.
Instead of being predictable and covering only basic questions like previous employment, what they did and didn’t like, or when they faced a challenge at work. Prepare in advance for the interview, include talking points that apply to the job and the position you need to fill. Avoid the canned questions and instead, look for something that will make them stop and think.
6) Not considering over or underqualified people
It seems odd that these two would make the list. When you think about working with overqualified people, you believe they will be bored and only stay at the job for a short time. For applicants underqualified, you may think that it’s a waste of time to hire and train them only for them to get overwhelmed and end up having to fire them.
But what many employers are discovering is that some of your best employees can come from both of these types of candidates.
Candidates with fewer skills are better because they will work harder to be good employees and learn the needed skills. They also may be more loyal than other applicants because your company took a chance on them. Overqualified candidates have multiple skills and can help improve their coworkers’ skills and help develop your team.
All companies want to hire great employees, but if you do not do your homework, you’ll probably always be looking for new talent. In deciding who to interview, go over applications carefully, paying special attention to their skills area. Don’t rush into a decision; instead, look at your notes and skill test results.
