Making a mistake while recruiting your team can cost you time, money, and a lot of bad air in the workspace, along with lost opportunities. Candidates may seem to be perfect for the job, but if you haven’t screened them well, they could disrupt the work culture, cause negative vibes, and cause losses in terms of missed targets. And if you have to replace them soon after they’ve been employed, think of the added expense! So how can you tell who is the right candidate? You can’t for sure, but you can design your recruitment process to ensure you make the least mistakes while recruiting to avoid serious problems later on.
Here’s your list of 8 ways to make sure that you don’t make recruitment mistakes:
1. Know who you want before
you go advertising for a recruit you need to know exactly what kind of person you want and for what. If you have confused and unclear ideas of who you need, hampers the recruitment process from day one. The last thing you want to do is waste time on candidates who have qualities and abilities that you don’t need. Write it down in as much detail as possible and then draft your job description. Ensure it isn’t vague or that you haven’t left out any important details. Remember to make it sound interesting and exciting to get the attention of the right people.
2. Don’t bank just on qualification
Of course, it’s important, but if you choose between a more qualified person with the wrong attitude and a less qualified person with team spirit and positivity, which one do you think will last longer and cause less trouble? Attitude is sometimes more important than even degree papers. A person willing to align with your team, work culture, to learn and grow may give you much better results than someone qualified for the job but with a negative approach.
Related: Best Recruitment Tips to Hire the Right Candidates
3. Don’t rush into it
You can’t hire just for the sake. Even if you can’t find the right person in the first few attempts, don’t rush and make the biggest mistake. Think of the cost in terms of energy, money, and lost opportunities if you hire the wrong person. I know its suicide to drag the process for too long, but rushing it doesn’t help either. Think, contemplate, and do what is best for the company.
4. No one is perfect
Candidates who are willing to learn and grow are sometimes better than those who seem “perfect” for the job. The more you wait for a perfect fit, the more you are losing out on the opportunity. Being understaffed makes you inefficient and, at times ineffective, don’t risk losing out on business just because you’re waiting for the right person to walk in. At the cost of repeating myself – the candidate’s attitude is more important than even his/her qualifications.
5. Don’t forget to follow up
Not staying in touch with candidates you have screened and interviewed is next to blasphemy in the recruitment bible. It means you’re giving candidates the message you’re not interested in, and they may start considering alternative options. Keeping them in the know regarding further screening processes or the next step to the selection means you are not keeping them in uncertainty. Not following up with candidates you have contacted and haven’t got back to you is equally risky. You could be losing out on a good employee. Make sure to stay in touch.
6. References aren’t your bible
Don’t rely on references too much. Of course, you need to follow up on them and check the details like skills, experience, and character. However, a person who has done well elsewhere may not repeat the performance in your environment or the other way around. Relying on references alone to make your decision could be dangerous.
7. Trust your gut
Finally, when you’re choosing between two or three candidates who all seem perfect for the job, trust your instinct. I have found that when you interview a lot of candidates over the years, you develop a sense of who will fit and who won’t. There is never a formula, but some people strike you as more favorable than others; that could be what tips the balance.
8. Learn from your mistakes
We’ve all made recruitment mistakes at one time or another. The key is never to make the same mistake twice and learn from the ones we did make. As we grow our businesses, more recruitments are needed, and to stay efficient; we need to become skilled at employing the right people to support our growth.
People who have lots of experience with recruiting make mistakes too, so don’t lose hope. We all learn as we go. Successful hiring is not easy and is full of opportunities to stumble. More importantly, mistakes are costly in terms of non-performance and the cost to replace an employee.
So, make sure to plan the process and pay attention to every step.
Like the Persian poet, Saadi Shirazi says, “Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.”
Be back with more soon, cheers.
Magbè
