Recruiting the people that will really make a difference in your business can be a daunting process for many with companies and individuals still frequently making the same mistakes in the recruitment process. If avoided, they would have a far better greater chance of success.
I’ve listed the top six common mistakes made in the recruitment process and how these could be avoided in order to make the whole process an easier, more pleasurable experience:
Recruitment Process Mistake 1: Providing an incomplete job description.
Without spending enough time getting this part of the process absolutely spot on, it can be difficult attracting the right calibre of candidate for your position.
An effective job description will help you attract the very best people to fill that position by providing details of the primary functions of the job, how the tasks will be carried out and the necessary skills and qualifications needed to be considered for that role.
Make sure you cover these core items in the job description: job title, salary range, objectives, a description of reporting structure, experience and skills, description of the ideal candidate, work location, schedule and any other duties assigned – assuring you can add new tasks to the position when needed. This will get your recruitment process off to the best possible start.
Recruitment Process Mistake 2: Poor screening of candidate’s CVs.
It’s imperative that you have a clear vision of what your ideal candidate should look like.
Sifting through CVs can be time consuming enough and unless you have a clear recruitment process strategy, you’ll be amazed at just how much time you could potentially waste.
As well as having a clear picture of what the successful candidate should look like, be ruthless with your CV analysis – write down some essential skills or qualifications that your candidate can’t be without. It could be that there is a necessity for years of experience in a similar role or perhaps the person you are recruiting for must have a clean driving licence?
Try to only analyse a CV once and make sure you set yourself a time limit for reviewing each CV. When you have compiled your shortlist, maybe give them a score out of 10 and then interview the top 3 or 4 scorers.
Recruitment Process Mistake 3: Being unprofessional in the interview.
A lack of professionalism in an interview will always give a candidate a very negative perception of the company and your grasp of the recruitment process.
Although it’s vital that a candidate should feel relaxed in an interview, you shouldn’t make it so relaxed that it ends up feeling like an informal chat.
Make sure you have a professional location to hold the interview which will help get the most out of the candidate, avoiding places like the canteen or the local Starbucks.
Ensure that the candidate feels that they have your undivided attention and that they don’t feel they are competing for your time. Avoid all other distractions during the interview; make sure your diary is blocked out and above all, switch off your Blackberry!
You may quickly realise that the person you are interviewing is about as useful as a chocolate kettle and that they would never get the job even if every other person in the running was struck down with Lyphangioleiomyomatosis.
However, good or bad, a candidate should always walk away from the interview with a positive impression of the process and the business. You never know when you may encounter that individual again in life or with whom they may share their interview experience with.
Recruitment Process Mistake 4: Lack of involvement from team in the process.
You would be amazed at how many people start recruiting new people into their team without informing their existing team members or including them in the recruitment process.
Start getting the team involved in recruitment, you will be amazed at what a galvanising effect it has. They may even be able to unearth a special candidate to fill the post!
Recruitment Process Mistake 5: Lack of a time frame.
If potential candidates see the same job ad appearing on job boards for months, this will give them the impression that either these companies are not serious about their recruitment process, or that nobody wants to join them!
It’s important that you set up a time frame to recruit candidates with key dates set aside for posting the job advert, narrowing down CVs, interviewing the chosen few and then offering them the position.
Recruitment Process Mistake 6: Lack of focus on Onboarding
After focusing on the early stages of the recruitment process and spending months getting the right person on board, companies often make the fatal mistake of overlooking an important component.
Onboarding is not simply about keeping new recruits committed, it’s about ensuring that recruits are familiar with an organisation and understand its culture and aspirations.
Ignoring or getting onboarding wrong can create a wide range of unforeseen costs for an organisation. It can also have a negative impact on the culture of an organisation.
