While not the most exciting part of running a business, the process of hiring the right personnel nevertheless remains a critical part of the endeavor. If you can’t get the right people working at your company, the company will fail. It won’t matter how much capital it has or how great a product it’s selling – a poor workforce will doom it all. Unfortunately, many companies still make horrendous mistakes when the time comes to hire new people. Here are the 5 most egregious mistakes and how to avoid them:
1. Not Presenting the Company Culture Well Enough
Most job postings elect to only post the barest information about the job. These posts talk about what is expected of the employee, as well as what skills are required to even be considered for the position. However, they fail to note what kind of company culture you have. This can lead to hires that look good on paper, but are just not the right fit for your company.
Make sure to describe the kind of experience they will have at your company. Describe your meeting rooms, and talk about what benefits you have for people with families or pets. Adding this kind of texture to your job opening can help weed out the chaff and give you a better crop of applicants.
2. Don’t Use Buzzwords
Many job postings have elected to go young with their language, using terms such as “champion” or “guru” to attract applicants. Some even use those terms in place of job titles. Use of this language is largely done to present the company as one that isn’t too uptight, and one that has a sense of humor. This approach has many problems, from the fact that using those terms as a job title gives no indication as to what is needed from the applicant, to the fact that those terms make it a lot harder to be found on websites.
Keep the job post simple. You will have plenty of other opportunities to show off your company culture. Focus on making it as informative as possible so you don’t end up
3. Not Having a Real Plan
Finding an employee to hire takes a lot more than just posting a job opening, though many companies seem to think that’s all that is needed. A freewheeling approach may work for many tasks, but not when it comes to the hiring process. You need a plan.
Part of the hiring plan involves figuring out exactly how many candidates you are willing to interview, as well as the details of those interviews. Another aspect includes designing frontloaded tests that will weed out unsuitable applicants in an efficient manner. Just having these two steps can ensure that not only do you get the most out of the budget, but that you waste as little time as possible.
4. Ignoring Rejected Applicants
One of the worst things many companies do is ignoring applicants that have been rejected. While it may seem efficient, it’s a terrible practice. Not only can it end up wasting an applicant’s time as they fruitlessly wait for a response, it can leave them with a bad taste in their mouths. This negative experience can result in negative posts online, damaging the business’s brand.
Send rejection notices as soon as you know an applicant is not the right fit for your company. Not only does this free them to seek other opportunities, this ensures that no bridges have been burned. You may find yourself looking for someone like them in the future.
5. Focusing Only on the Perfect Candidate
Some hiring initiatives fail because not because the company’s standards are too high, but because they are too strict with them. Stray a hair from the job requirements, and an applicant is immediately rejected. While standards do need to be upheld, the fact is that waiting for an absolutely perfect employee is often a waste of time.
Perfect candidates do exist but come by once in a blue moon – if you’re lucky. The truth is that your company doesn’t need the perfect applicant. You just need someone who can do the job well. As they work on the company, you can train them and make them a better fit for their job. Just getting someone qualified is often good enough.
Hiring the right employees isn’t impossible. Plenty of companies around the world do it every day. Avoid these pitfalls, and your business can become similarly successful.
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