Hiring pitfalls you should avoid

If you were to apply for a job at your company, would you have a positive candidate experience? If you listen in on a couple of job interviews, do you think you’d hear the same interview questions being asked? Would the interviews be consistent and systematic? When was the last time you assessed your hiring process?

A refined recruiting and hiring process is essential in identifying and hiring the best candidate for every role.?When it comes to recruiting candidates, here are some of the pitfalls you should avoid.

Overselling the job

Facing pressure to fill roles in a? competitive talent market, companies can easily find themselves talking up the role and the company to get candidates in the door. Making the role sound more meaningful or interesting than it actually is, emphasizing better working conditions, mentioning solid career progression plans and touting a range of flexible work arrangements are just some of the things that come up as companies try to put their best foot forward.?

When expectations don't meet the reality of the day-to-day role, an employee can feel stuck in a job they would have never taken in the first place. Someone who is disappointed by the reality of an oversold role may feel disengaged and demotivated. Attracting quality candidates should be about giving an accurate picture that gets them excited about what they could look forward to.

Inconsistent interview practices

Candidates want to know that the recruiting process is taken seriously and their time is being valued. A company’s interview practices can provide valuable insights into how they view and value candidates. In one study, HR executives believe that their company's hiring managers are inconsistent in both how they interview and evaluate candidates. The lack of well-designed interview questions can exacerbate this issue.?

It's crucial for HR and hiring teams to prepare for an interview by discussing the type of candidate they are looking for and the questions they will ask. The interview team should be responsible for assessing the different attributes of the candidate. Ultimately, having a consistent interview process that evaluates candidates on the same parameters is necessary for effective hiring decisions.

Designing jobs with unrealistic requirements

When searching for the best candidate, hiring managers can often make the mistake of being too idealistic. Evaluating candidates with such expectations can lead to a narrow candidate pool, a lengthy sourcing process and maybe even a failure to find suitable candidates. A stellar CV can seem impressive but it can only provide insight into a candidate's work history and skills, not their personal characteristics and qualities that are essential for job motivation, values, personality, and working behaviors.??

Managers should reconsider itemizing an ideal candidate's skills in a job description as this can discourage many job seekers. Piling on job requirements on a hiring manager’s wish list can be counterproductive so it’s best to avoid setting unrealistic benchmarks before sourcing and evaluating candidates.

Overlooking active job seekers

Passive job candidates have always been a valuable resource for recruiters, as the recruiting process often starts with reaching out to experienced professionals who are deemed the perfect fit. It’s important to take a balanced approach by also considering active job seekers and adopting a more inclusive and diverse hiring process to ensure that all the best possible candidates are considered for the role.

Active job seekers are more engaged in improving their skills and are passionate about their work, which can make them valuable assets to a company. If candidate sourcing strategies are focused on passive candidates, companies may be missing out on talented individuals who are actively seeking new opportunities and are highly motivated to succeed in a new role.

Taking stock of your hiring practices, re-evaluating talent sourcing strategies and constantly improving your recruitment process are essential to remain competitive in today’s job market.