How To Handle These Common Hiring Issues

No matter how many times you go through your hiring process, it seems you're bound to run into the same problems. Why? Sometimes it's the nature of the job, sometimes it's the candidate pool and sometimes it can be attributed to a hole in your recruiting process that you may not be aware of. Here's how to handle a couple of common hiring issues:

A candidate “ghosts” you: Unfortunately, as recruiters, this is something we have all experienced at some point or another. Most candidates are looking for work in several places which means that they are off the market just as fast as they were on the market. So how do we avoid being ghosted? Communication! Make sure you are keeping your communication open and frequent with your candidate pool, even if you don't have an actual update on a position. How is their job search going? Have they heard back on other interviews? Are they open to a position they may not have been open to before? Also, make sure you are keeping a clear and efficient timeline of communication with ALL candidates. Notify them right away if they'll be considered for an interview or if you decide to go in another direction. If you stay in communication with them, then they will stay in communication with you.

You’re not getting the applicants you’ve expected: Want a great candidate with amazing skills and education, yet are coming up short? Firstly, check your job posting. Maybe you need to be more clear, concise, and specific. Create bullet points for necessary skills, education, and experience. Also, where are you putting the word out? Do the job search websites you use have a lot of traffic? Try contacting a staffing agency for help ? They’ll have an expansive pool of talent ready to take on a job.

New hires are under-performing: They looked great on paper as a candidate, and you’re pretty sure they gave a great interview. However, they seem to be a little unmotivated or simply performing unsatisfactorily. To prevent this from happening, consider a few things. Firstly, what kind of questions are you asking in your interviews? Are they all based on background and skills, yet few to none are situational? Gauge your candidate’s performance by asking situational questions, which will reveal their work process and past successes. Also, get a sense of their future goals. If a candidate is unmotivated from the get go, maybe they aren’t satisfied working in your industry. Make sure to find candidates who are passionate about working in the position you’re hiring for.