Article
December 2012
Key Takeaways:
- Create your game plan: Clearly define the role and hiring process, highlight the impact of the position, and allocate the proper time and resources needed to fill the role.
- Talk is cheap: Follow through after interviews and avoid keeping applicants in the dark.
Many of us have experienced the consequences of poorly designed hiring processes firsthand. From waiting months to hear back from an interview to discovering that a role is different than advertised, both hiring managers and candidates suffer from a lack of structure and planning in the hiring process. Here are six of the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.
1. Unclear Vision of a Role
Recruiting mistake: Possessing a vague understanding of what it means to be successful in that role.
Solution: Clearly define roles, responsibilities, skills, and deliverables that an employee will be evaluated on before rushing to create a job description. Whether it’s a newly created role or a replacement role of someone who has departed, you should take the time to reset and look for what you need from the role in the future. Understand what deliverables and tasks should be accomplished to make a rock star employee within the first 90 days to a year.
2. Not Advertising the Role’s Impact
Recruiting mistake: Not highlighting the impact a role has on the organization.
Solution: Attract the right candidate and make a more informed hiring decision by addressing how much this role can make a substantial difference in the organization. Some critical questions to consider are:
- How does this role impact the function of the organization?
- How can the candidate grow in the role and make a bigger impact and be more successful over time?
By asking these questions, you can better determine if a potential candidate has the necessary skills required to execute the vision you’ve set forth. From the job seeker’s perspective, knowledge of the role’s impact helps them decide if a role fits within their career aspirations.
3. Not Being Ready
Recruiting mistake: Posting a job listing and assembling a candidate pool before you have the proper time and resources to dedicate to the hiring process.
Solution: Avoid suboptimal results by meeting with key decision stakeholders and setting aside interview time that isn’t influenced by other tasks such as month-end close. Establish a specific protocol to ensure a smooth transition from initial outreach to candidates to final interviews within a 30-to-60-day window. Overall, ensure you make the hiring process a top priority!
4. Having an Incomplete Onboarding Process
Recruiting mistake: Having an incomplete or missing onboarding process.
Solution: Develop a checklist of the onboarding steps from offer acceptance to training. First, you should call your candidate and extend a verbal offer to them. This is your opportunity to encourage that candidate and get them excited about starting the role.
5. Not Understanding a Candidate’s Motivation
Recruiting mistake: Lacking knowledge of what motivates an applicant.
Solution: Understanding a candidate’s motivation helps you better engage them and improve your own management style. Are they eager to solve problems and master technical skills? Or are they seeking an environment where they can cultivate good working relationships? Is your candidate motivated most by compensation? Or by making the biggest impact? Determining what motivates your candidate the most helps you gauge how your organization can support their goals.
6. Poor Follow-Up System
Recruiting mistake: Not following up and communicating with candidates.
Solution: Nobody likes to be ghosted. Avoid this hiring mistake and improve your candidate experience by establishing the necessary feedback mechanisms to stay in touch with applicants. First, set up an automated email that sends a thank you confirmation note to job seekers after they apply for the role. Try to implement a service level agreement to respond within 24 to 48 hours after you are contacted by a prospective employee. Next, make it a priority to maintain contact with applicants once you start the screening process. As for the interview process, a majority of professionals state that the most frustrating part of their candidate journey is waiting for (and potentially never getting) feedback after an interview. Do not wait more than a week to give feedback to candidates that have interviewed for your position(s).