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Seven Hiring Sins - Avoid These Mistakes to Get the Best Talent

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Employers need good people to keep their business rolling, but mistakes in the hiring process can quickly bring things to a screeching halt. Good employees are hard to find, as the saying goes. But the argument could be made that it’s all about making the right moves when hiring. The wrong actions can quickly become an expensive situation down the road.

To help illustrate what should be avoided, we’ve compiled a rundown of seven hiring sins that companies could be committing. These could all add up to costly problems.

 

1 - Missing Red Flags

An applicant’s charming and engaging banter could make for a pleasant interview experience, but never let that overshadow a person’s actual qualifications. A pleasant rapport is certainly a good thing, but not when it’s unsupported by a lack of skills necessary for the role. Instead, make use of pre-screening assessments to prevent unqualified people from getting onto the interview roster. Don’t fall for the charm.

 

2 - Inauthentic Interviewing

In our current business climate of talent crunches and shortages, it’s very important for employers to understand how the dynamics of interviewing have shifted. Simply put, companies are now being interviewed too. The applicant is interviewing the business just as much as the business is interviewing the applicant. Provide an authentic depiction of what work-life is like at the company. This will help improve attraction and retention.

 

3 - Unclear Listings

The average job seeker spends just 14 seconds reviewing a job description before deciding to apply. That’s according to LinkedIn’s Talent Blog, which used an eye-tracking software for a study. Most folks don’t even review the whole job listing, instead focusing on the top two-thirds. That’s why it’s critical to refine job listings into focused content. Stick to five or six core requirements or responsibilities, and a description of compensation and benefit offerings.

 

4 - Unprepared Evaluators

Before an applicant even comes through the door, the individuals or team members responsible for conducting the hiring steps need to be fully prepared and informed of their duties. Specific tasks should be delegated to these team members to avoid redundancies or missed opportunities. For example, who writes the job description, who checks the references, etc. When the team is fully prepped, it can save companies time and money.

 

5 - Blanket Approach

If there is a specific type of talented candidate that’s being sought, the approach of casting a generalized wide net isn’t going to be very effective. Much like when fishing, the right lure makes a big difference. Highly qualified candidates are going to be drawn to things that interest them, like your company’s culture or goals as a team. Find out what these individuals are passionate about and use that for targeted recruiting. This type of company/employee alignment can also boost retention long after the hire.

 

6 - Lengthy Shopping Lists

When companies create too long of a wish list for the type of applicant they’re seeking, most job seekers feel like they won’t fit the bill. This is a very common mistake that companies make, creating much too long a list of desired qualifications when really only a few key attributes are needed. Narrow the focus to specific traits that are absolutely essential for the role and regard any additional skillsets as a bonus. This will bring in a wider pool of applicants to evaluate and will get better results than a hyper-nuanced list of desired skills.

 

7 - Not Providing Closure

Even if an applicant is not going to get the job, it’s a very good habit to provide them with some closure about their application. A simple response with a formal declination prevents people from feeling ghosted and reflects positively on companies. The alternative, just going silent on a person, is going to probably cause them to pass up future job listings. That’s a bad thing for companies because they could be missing out on good employees that might be eager to join their teams sometime in the future. Always provide a response, even when going in another direction.

 

Hire Smart, Hire Strong

Avoiding these seven hiring sins will enable companies to onboard talented people that enhance the skillsets of their teams and last for the long term. When the right moves are made from the very beginning, companies will become stronger through more effective hiring.