Recruitment Faux Pas’: The Mistakes to Avoid

If you’ve got to the stage in your business where you’re about to recruit, then a huge pat on the back is required.

After all, you’ve dodged all of the new business failure stats and worked your company into a position where it’s ready to get to the next level.

Of course, it’s still not plain sailing – and never will be. Recruitment is a minefield in its own right and through today’s post, we will take a look at some of the classic mistakes that businesses typically make.

Not defining the role properly

When it comes to recruitment, it’s vitally important to be clear about the role that you are looking to fill. This means taking the time to define the precise duties and responsibilities that will be required of the successful candidate.

If you are not clear about the role, then you run the risk of attracting candidates who are not a good fit for the position – and this can be costly in terms of both time and money.

There are two ways in which a business can suffer from this. Firstly, they can attract candidates that are clearly not suited to the role. Secondly, they can fortuitously land on a dream candidate, only for them to quickly leave due to the discrepancies with what was initially advertised. Suffice to say, neither is desirable and can easily be avoided.

You don’t think about the real costs of recruitment

It’s easy to focus on the upfront costs. However, you need to remember that there are also hidden costs that need to be taken into account.

For example, the time and effort that is put into the recruitment process by the team. Not to mention the opportunity cost of not having somebody in the role that is being recruited for.

It’s important to think about all of the costs associated with recruitment and not just the ones that are visible on the surface. Salary is just the tip of the iceberg, and will quickly spiral into the above, plus pensions, plus the extra insurance you’ll need – and many other so-called smaller costs.

Focusing too much on experience

It’s natural for businesses to focus on experience when recruiting for a new role. After all, you want somebody who is going to be able to hit the ground running and make an immediate impact.

However, it’s important not to forget that skills and experience can be learned. What’s more, if you focus too much on experience, you run the risk of overlooking candidates that may be a better fit for the role in terms of skills and attitude.

It’s always a good idea to have a mix of both experienced and inexperienced candidates in the running for a role. This will allow you to get a better sense of who will be the best fit for the role and the company culture.

And, let’s not forget, that experience tends to cost a lot more money.

Making assumptions about candidates

It’s all too easy to make assumptions about candidates based on the information that you have. It’s important to remember that this is not always accurate.

For example, you may assume that a candidate is overqualified for a role or that they lack the relevant skills. However, it’s always best to judge a candidate on their merits and not on your assumptions.

This means taking the time to speak to them and get to know them as individuals. Only then will you be able to make an accurate judgement about their suitability for the role.

You put all your effort into hiring – and not retention

Hiring the right person is only half the battle. It’s also important to focus on retention and making sure that the new employee is happy in their role.

This means taking the time to set up a good induction process, providing training and development opportunities and making sure that the employee feels valued and appreciated.

If you neglect retention, then you run the risk of losing the new employee within a short space of time. This is not only costly but can also be damaging to the company culture.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *