Are you making any of these recruitment mistakes?

Companies repeatedly make these 10 common recruitment mistakes. So, what are they and how do we avoid them?

1. Not Giving an Accurate Job Description

From the candidate’s perspective, this can be extremely frustrating, but more often than not, it also ends up backfiring on the organisation. Make sure it is clear to candidates the role that is required, otherwise, you will attract those with insufficient skills and qualities. False advertisement will cause candidates to drop off or even leave once hired, putting you quite literally back to square one.

2. Not Utilising All of Your Recruitment Channels

There are lots of channels that can be utilised in the recruitment process from jobs boards, social media, to referrals but, many organisations will use higher costing channels first, such as recruitment agencies. Yes, quality candidates can be returned this way, but utilising cheaper recruitment channels first can be more pro-active. You could have a pool of talent who are cheap to hire and easy to train right under your nose.

3. Not Having the Right Resources

Many organisations may not utilise those channels because they do not have the resources to do so. Ditching spreadsheets and putting in place sufficient processes to streamline your recruitment model can be extremely beneficial in ensuring better targets can be met. This could be anything from multi-posting software, a newly designed careers website to a full applicant tracking system.

4. Not Using Multiple Shortlisting Methods

Our traditional interview methods have served us well, but alone, do they truly showcase a candidate’s true colours and capabilities? Using different shortlisting methods can increase the chance of finding the right talent. You could focus on any specific area particularly important to your organisation whether that’s in the form of a video, scenario assessment or personality test.

5. Holding Out for the Perfect Candidate

Another recruitment mistake is holding out too long for the perfect candidate. After all, there is a reason they call them a purple squirrel because they are so rare. Often, waiting out for the perfect candidate to fall into your lap can be more damaging, especially when the chances it will happen are slim. If you wait it out, you will increase your cost per hire and your time to fill. This can also cause risk to your current taskforce as your employees may become unnecessarily loaded with tasks. Instead, look for a candidate that ticks the right boxes, has some relevant experience, fits into your culture and can be trained however necessary.

6. Not Having a Sufficient Onboarding Programme in Place

A lot of recruitment mistakes continue during the onboarding process. A sufficient onboarding programme should keep candidates engaged and is an essential part of securing good retention rates. The programme should transition them into their role, provide them with the necessary information and training they need while making it clear what is to be expected.

7. A Lack of Communication and Transparency with Candidates

A good level of communication needs to made with candidates from the initial point of contact through to the moment they are taken on board, but transparently. Do not promise a false pay review or timely feedback if you are not going to deliver. Bad communication leads to a tarnished recruitment brand, effecting your chance of filling future positions. You also want to nurture relationships with candidates that have not been successful with you. Keep in touch with them and allow them to do the same with you. Periodically reach out and allow them to sign up to your company’s job alerts.

8. Not Recruiting for a Cultural Fit

While they must be qualified to do the job, they also need to fit the culture of your organisation. But this should not be introduced solely during the interview process, incorporate it at every hiring stage. Your jobs ads, your carers website, the onboarding process, and so on. Ensuring they meet these needs helps to not only maintain your current environment but improve the likelihood of them working coherently with their peers.

9. Not Catering for All Stakeholders

Not meeting the needs of the recruiters, hiring managers and candidates is another recruitment mistake. Is there a sufficient line of communication between all? Do they know their tasks and responsibilities? Do they have the right resources in place to deliver those tasks on time? A recruitment model will not work efficiently if all stakeholders needs are not met.

10. Not Future-Proofing Your Hiring Methods

Change is inevitable so your hiring methods need to be future-proofed. The market will change, behaviours will change, your organisation will inevitably change. Change is needed to progress us to further success, and as our hiring methods become outdated, our recruitment model will no longer meet the mark. Instead, when evaluating your processes, look to the future. Can your recruitment software be easily configured to meet the new needs of the business, or does this require a change in provider? Are your methods targeting the generation z candidate or will your taskforce become as outdated as your processes?

Wondering if you are making any more recruitment mistakes? Get in touch. Our team have a wealth of experience from various fields of recruitment.

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