Why Does My Recruitment Process Keep Failing? There's 9 Reasons Why...

"Your number one priority should be on delivering the ultimate candidate experience. You are being judged more than you may realise."

Have you ever been in charge of running a recruitment process that’s taken you weeks, if not months to find the perfect candidate? If so, you probably know the stress, time and financial costs to your business.

After all the time you invested, did you finally find the perfect candidate only for them to decline your position at the last minute?

Were you inundated with irrelevant applications, causing you to wonder if people even bothered to read your job ad before they hit 'apply'?

Have you ever had so few applications that you felt like you couldn't attract anyone, even if your life depended on it?

Or, does your recruitment process cause uncertainty and angst amongst your current staff members?

If you're experiencing any of these problems, there are very common things you may be doing without even realising it, which could be jeopardising your chances of success. Your struggles and pain points are probably being caused by these 9 mistakes. My suggestion would be to ensure you avoid them moving forward.

1. You don't respect your applicants enough

Let's kick this article off with a bang. If you're a hiring manager and you don't make your applicants the number one priority during a recruitment process, you have a problem that needs addressing urgently. Whilst this may be confronting to read, it's important to discuss because it forms the foundation of your managerial success. A recruitment process is a two-way street, in which you as the hiring manager have an obligation to communicate with all applicants who've taken the time to indicate their interest in your organisation.

Candidates are placed under high amounts of pressure and stress when applying for roles, many of whom invest a lot of time in putting their best foot forward to you. Acknowledge this effort by ensuring you always provide feedback to applicants, and keep people updated with your process. If a candidate is not right, simply provide feedback as to why, and thank them for their time.

If you choose to engage with a recruitment consultant, the same communication expectations apply. When you actively engage with the market to fill a position, you have a responsibility to communicate with all parties involved, and keep people informed of your progress.

Your number one priority should be on delivering the ultimate candidate experience. You are being judged more than you may realise. How appropriately you consider others may even dictate the quality of applicants you receive in the future. We're all busy, but it's a small world - so always treat people with respect and dignity when you recruit. If roles were reversed, you'd probably want the organisation you applied for to keep you in the loop as well.

2. You haven't clearly defined what the role will entail

As a recruiter, I've seen more generic PD's, non-specific ads, and heard more lackadaisical job briefs than I care to admit. It's not because my clients are lazy, they're just uncertain about what they really need and want in a candidate. Clients often come to me with really vague ideas of what they're looking for, and it's up to me to draw out the key information I need, and to get their minds thinking about what is most important to them. Trouble is, I can't guide a client unless they contact me for my advice. So let me help you all right now.

If you're looking to hire, the first thing you need to consider is what you really want. Clearly define the role, and the responsibilities of the future incumbent.

• What background do you need the person to have?
• What skills and qualifications should they possess?
• What attitudes, values and personal traits are most important?
• What projects will the role be responsible for? Who are the key stakeholders?
• What are the essential requirements for the role, versus the desirable requirements? What is a non-negotiable, and what can you be flexible on?
• What is the culture of your organisation, and why would an A-grade candidate want to work with you ahead of your competitors?
• Why has the role been created?
• What opportunities will the candidates have for progression?
• What are you willing to pay the perfect candidate? What perks does your job or organisation offer? (hint: you should make this as attractive as possible...)

I could go on forever about the types of questions you'll need to consider, but it all comes down to this - what possible questions could a candidate have about your role? Make the role as clearly defined as possible, and accurately describe the position in as much detail as possible. Be specific. If the information you provide is generic, then you can expect to see irrelevant applicants. Take the time to define what you need, and be clear on your requirements.

3. You don't know what's important to today's candidates

This is a big one. The world of work is changing faster than we've ever seen before, but not everyone is keeping up with the pace of change. Ping pong tables, free coffee or movie vouchers may have been motivating to people in the past, but today's employees are seeking a work environment which nourishes them far deeper than surface-level rewards once did. If you want the best candidates in the market and you want them to remain engaged, then you need to know what's most important to them.

Consider what your organisation stands for, but most importantly, what your ideal candidates want. What would make them join your organisation, and what incentives will see them stay? How can you create an amazing culture where people feel empowered, trusted and challenged? How can you create flexibility and autonomy, and allow people to grow within your business? How can you establish healthy work-life practices, and ensure that your employees place their mental health above all else?

Engaged employees who take care of themselves are the difference between your profit and loss, so it's essential to get this one right.

4. You're not competitive in your market

Building on the idea of 'what's important to your candidates', you also need to know what your competitors are doing. Elite candidates know what your competitors are doing, so you should too. It's more than just what perks you offer, but also the values your company holds, the moral and ethical behaviours you display, and the way you treat your people. It's the types of customers or clients you service, and the opportunities that are presented to people in your organisation.

To be perceived as a market leader in your industry, you need to be the best in the work that you do, and in how you treat your people. It's no good having the best clients but a bad culture. The two go hand-in hand, and prospective A-grade candidates are assessing you closely. As a leader you can't just do what you've always done, and expect a different result in a changing world. If you wish to stay ahead of the curve, it's important to continually develop your organisation and your people.

Attracting and retaining the best candidates is the difference between your success or your failure as a business owner. It's really that important.

5. You value Key Selection Criteria too highly

Key Selection Criteria can be a great way to assess a candidate's suitability for a role, as well as their attention to detail and written communication skills. They're important, and they have a place in the recruitment processes in my opinion. But they're not the be-all and end-all.

Many clients I work with get caught up in the perceived importance of KSC responses, and they forget to look at their applicants holistically. You may be surprised to know that many of the best candidates I've worked with have submitted poor responses, whilst some of the most irrelevant candidates have submitted the best responses. How? Because the KSC questions are often as generic as the PD's they're found within, and it just comes down to how well someone can write about their own history.

If you're using KSC as a measuring stick, it's fair to have a minimum standard that a candidate must adhere to if they're to progress in your recruitment process - but please don't reject suitable candidates solely because they haven't hit the mark as closely to what you wanted in their responses. You could be rejecting gold-standard candidates because you're getting caught up in bureaucratic processes rather than assessing candidates on their merit. Be smart with your use of Key Selection Criteria.

6. You don't impress in interview

We've already spoken about recruitment being a two-way process, and how the best candidates are assessing you just as much as you're assessing them. I constantly get feedback from my candidates who come out of interviews and decide a role isn't for them, simply because they didn't connect the interviewer. They tell me about the stale, low-level questioning that the interviewers used, and how the conversation didn't flow. The describe a lack of rapport to me, which leads them to believe the role will lack what they're really looking for (even if it meets all of their job-search criteria).

As a hiring manager, you need to wow your candidates. Discuss the surrounding information to the role - where you see the role heading in the next 12-24 months, where you see the candidate progressing their career if successful, what challenges you expect the role to have and what support you as the manager will offer them. Have open conversations with your candidates, and don't be afraid to ask questions of them to get their insights as well.

A-grade candidates are interviewing you as much as you're interviewing them. Don't fall into the trap of thinking they're desperate for your role, because you'll be sadly mistaken. In the instances where a candidate rejects a position before a client has given me feedback, almost always do my clients excitedly call me to advise they would like to offer the candidate the job - only for me to inform them that the candidate has already declined it without waiting for an offer.

Interviews are a two-way process, and you have to impress your candidates as much as they have to impress you.

7. You haven't planned out the logistics

A sloppy recruitment process can be costly on your chances of appointing the right person. When you know you need to hire additional resources, it's important to ensure you have all your ducks in a row, so to speak, before you embark on this process. Ensure you have all relevant HR or Director approvals in place before you go out to market. Ensure you know who will be on the interview panel, when panel members will be available, and when interviews will take place. Have contingency times available for candidates who can't make the times you've requested. Ensure you know when references will be conducted, and any relevant steps that will take place once a candidate is selected - Police Checks, Working With Children's Checks etc.

All of these elements take time to work through, and it's essential that you communicate them and have them well thought-out before you start. If you're not ready, you run the very real risk of ruining your brand, reputation and losing the candidate you want. Preparation is the key here.

8. You take too long to make decisions

Many clients I work with have a tough time selecting appropriate candidates, which often costs them big time. At the end of the day, you can do all the checks and balances in the world, but you'll never truly know how successful someone will be in your role unless you make a decision and give them a chance.

If you have reference checked, conducted a thorough interview process, and been honest and open with the candidate throughout the entire process, then there's really little more you can do to control the situation. Sometimes, things just don't work out when you appoint a staff member, but it's important no to let that fear hold up your decision.

If you're waiting on your manager's sign-off, then you really need to beat down their door to have an outcome decided on. I cannot stress this enough - elite candidates will not wait for your inability to make a decision or for you to not prioritise your recruitment process. The best candidates have multiple opportunities available to them, and they're assessing your process.

The excuse of "I'm busy" doesn't fly here either. If you're that inundated with work, then it makes sense to take one step back, for two steps forwards. In this case, it means hiring help to assist you with your workload.

Be thorough, but speedy with your recruitment process.

9. You haven't chosen the right recruitment consultant

A recruitment consultant should be seen as a trusted adviser to you. The relationship between you and your consultant should be one of transparency. It's a partnership. If you don't feel this way about your recruiter, you've probably selected the wrong one to work with.

A recruitment consultant represents you and your company, so it's important that you select the right one. Ensure your consultant understands your organisation, your leadership style, the role and your culture in great depth. Take the time to share these details with them, so they can deliver the best results for you. It doesn't hurt to get to know who you are working with either, before you appoint a consultant. Not all recruiters are created equally, and not everyone operates with the same integrity. When you find a good one, please treat them accordingly.

Remember, this is a two-way street as well. I will unapologetically prioritise my clients who invest in me, as equally as I invest in them. Relationships are the key, and only the clients who value building a strong relationship with me as I do with them, will get a premium level of service from me.

Wrapping it all up...

There's a lot you have in your control when you run a recruitment process, and how you choose to engage with people will determine it's success or failure. In a competitive marketplace, the best candidates will only work with the best organisations. You have a responsibility to communicate with people effectively and treat people with the same respect that you would wish to be treated with if you were a candidate.

If you've read this and identified there's some areas for improvement, don't panic. You can make actionable improvements to your process very easily when you have a customer-focused mindset in place. Think: "What candidates do I require to deliver the ultimate service to my customers or clients? To attract those candidates, how do I need to engage with them?"

Don't forget to plan before you start, and communicate, communicate, communicate.

To your success,

Adrian