8 common hiring mistakes that could cost you big
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20/07/2021
If you are a hiring manager or a recruiter, you are most likely making recruitment mistakes quite often. This is because everyone makes mistakes and recruiting requires plenty of human intuition – some that is trustworthy but not error-proof. One thing we do know is that employee’s are the most important asset of every business, so save yourself some time and money by avoiding these 8 common hiring mistakes.
1. NOT CONSULTING THE TEAM
Consulting the staff on ground level who have the knowledge of the skills and temperament needed to succeed in the role is important in the hiring process. While you might see a particular candidate as a great option, another team member might sense the opposite – Gaining your teams approval and feedback is key if you hope to integrate your new employee into a team-orientated environment.
2. TALKING MORE THAN LISTENING
When starting an interview with a candidate, instead of painting a picture of your company and what type of candidate you are looking for, try an approach where you ask a variety of questions to get a realistic idea of who the candidate is and what they can bring to the table.
3. NOT CREATING A TIMELINE FOR THE HIRING PROCESS
Rushing the recruitment process may cause you to overlook important things, such as reference checking and performing background checks – but then there is the other end of the stick, if you move to slowly you risk loosing your ideal candidate to a job offer elsewhere. Creating a timeline for your process including a potential hiring/outcome date could make the difference between a candidate hanging around for the job offer and taking one from another business.
4. HIRING A LESS QUALIFIED PERSON TO SAVE MONEY
It is common for a business to hire a less qualified candidate in an attempt to save money and stay within budgets – this is not always going to work out and in turn could cost you a lot of time and money. Keep in the forefront of your mind the required skills and experience for the role you are recruiting for.
5. HIRING SOLELY ON A RECOMMENDATION
When a candidate is referred to you, interview them, test them out and do background checks – don’t hire them just because they were referred. This is a very easy way that a company can make a costly mistake. It is up to you to do your background checks to ensure every hire is right for your company.
6. BEING MISLEADING AND UNCLEAR ABOUT THE JOB
To ensure transparency during the hiring process, make a list of the job responsibilities and a corresponding list of experience, knowledge, skills and talent the candidate needs to have in order to meet your expectations within the role – If you do not have a clear idea of the job’s responsibilities, it will be easier to oversee the skills in the candidates.
7. TAKING ALL STATEMENTS AT FACE VALUE
An application may look great on paper or may have interviewed as though they are the perfect person for the role but are they really who we view them to be? Whether it be an entry level candidate who may exaggerate how much experience they do or do not have, to a high-level candidate who boosts up their achievements – checking references is necessary to ensure you are making the best choice possible.
8. IGNORNING CANDIDATE PERSONALITY
Imagine this, you meet a candidate who has a great resume, relevant experience and a fantastic skill set.. but they don’t fit into your company’s culture? This can often lead to an employee disengaging and being less productive – It is important to outline your mission and values in the interview stages to gauge their response.
Building a company and a team of employee’s is not always an easy and seamless process, but there are strategies that can be put in place to ensure when hiring, you are hiring the right person for your roles the first time around.
