How to Avoid Basic Recruiting Mistakes

Do you feel like it is impossible to build a team of strong, capable employees? If you are having problems with your current employees, then you need to consider how these people were hired in the first place. Your recruiting methods are the foundation to creating a good team, so you need to assess how you are recruiting new employees if you want to build a better team

Here are three of the most common recruiting mistakes:

1. Rushing the Hiring Process

When a job opening needs to be filled, it can be tempting to hire the first candidate that comes along, as long as they meet a few certain requirements. Don’t make the mistake of hiring the wrong person because you are too concerned about getting the position filled right away. Sometimes it makes sense to delay the hiring for a little bit if it gives you the opportunity to find the perfect candidate to match your needs.

There is always a sense of urgency to fill the position, but you need to be careful to avoid the situation where the urgency drives you to make a poor decision. If you rush the recruitment process, then it will be expensive and ineffective.

2. Turning Away an Overqualified Candidate

It is becoming more common for employers to turn away overqualified candidates because of cost concerns. This approach is short-sighted, especially if you fail to see the benefits that the employee could bring to the company.

Don’t get caught up only looking at the short-term strategy. Instead, it is important to consider the long-term goals of the company to ensure you are hiring people who will contribute to those long-term goals. When you are focusing on a longer time frame, then you will see that salary isn’t quite as important if that employee can contribute to higher levels of growth for the company.

3. Withholding Information about the Job

One of the best ways to naturally filter potential candidates is by fully disclosing the job requirements and qualifications. Sometimes companies make the mistake of posting vague job descriptions and not sharing enough information during the interview. This limited information can result in a situation where candidates are applying for the job when they might not actually be qualified or interested in the actual duties that will be expected.

Be clear in your job description and share as much information as possible during the hiring process. A natural result is that candidates will automatically filter themselves out if they aren’t a good match for the position.

If you are ready to improve your recruiting methods, then we invite you to contact us at Agile HR for more information. Our tools make it easy for you to track recruiting efforts so that you can see how recruiting impacts retention. Contact us today for more information!

Effective Recruiting Strategies To Hire Best Talent

In a highly competitive job market, the onus is on recruiters and HR professionals to think outside the box if they want to hire the best talent. Creative recruiting strategies are critical to source, attract and then retain the cream of the candidate crop. We will discuss some of the most popular creative recruiting strategies, and with good reason.

Self-selection Screening

Self-selection screening is a way of pre-qualifying applicants. Simply introduce an open invitation event to candidates, before the interview stage. Those who turn up are really keen – those who don’t, not so much. This also gives you an opportunity to assess candidates in a group environment while giving candidates more insight into who you are and what you do.

This allows you to cut down the time you spend sifting through resumes and conducting interviews, by identifying the candidates who are genuinely interested in the role.

Group Interviews

Working on the same principle as above, group interviews give you a chance to evaluate candidates without conducting time-intensive one-on-one interviews with every candidate who applies. You probably want to limit the numbers here though. While you might get hundreds of attendees to an open day (depending on your industry and the level you’re recruiting for, of course), a meaningful group session needs to give you a chance to really assess each person there.

Handpick and flatter

This is a strategy for when you’re recruiting for a more niche role, perhaps, or a senior-level role. Identify your dream candidates for the position, research them in as much detail as possible and reach out to them personally. This article gives the example of Red 5 Studios, who handpicked 100 perfect candidates and sent them all a personalized iPod with a message from the CEO. More than 90 responded, 3 left their current role and joined Red 5 Studios, and they raised their employer profile significantly from word-of-mouth buzz.

Look in unexpected places

Step away from LinkedIn, this piece recommends, and head to the unexpected places. For example, try going out to local stores and offering interviews to anyone who really stands out. Obviously this is less relevant if you need specific skills for your role, but if you’re hiring entry-level then personality traits are likely to be just as important.

Attend events (not job fairs)

Similar to the above, the piece recommends attending unusual events if you want to find unusual talent. Look for relevant Meetups, for example.

Use non-traditional media

Instead of relying on plain text job adverts, why not think outside the box and make your company stand out? Podcasts, videos, graphics – anything that your competitors aren’t doing is fair game.

Active search

Recruiters have been doing this for decades, but it’s worth a reminder if your sourcing efforts fall a little on the passive side. Stop waiting for resumes to fall in your lap and develop a proactive sourcing strategy. You can keep track of your new clients using our free online recruitment system. Keep reading to learn more

Savvy advertising

Recruiters must become marketers if they want to succeed, and this point exemplifies this. Try investing in online advertising on online forums related to your skills, or targeting relevant keywords.

Don’t ignore past applicants

It makes sense, in a talent-tight market, not to ignore talent that’s already shown an interest. Use an online recruitment system to effectively keep track of your candidates and ensure you can contact them again in the future.

Incentivize referrals

Referrals are one of the highest quality sources of hire, so it makes sense to try and increase the amount you get. Offering and publishing incentives can be a great tactic.