Speed can be a factor when trying to secure a candidate, but rushing the process and hiring someone who is a bad fit can be damaging to your workplace.
Although a competitive market can make hiring more difficult, it can be beneficial to slow down and take the time to ensure a solid decision.
Fastcompany.com recommends avoiding the following five mistakes to improve your hiring process.
- Waiting until you have a job opening. Jay McDonald, author of “Strategic Jaywalking: The Secret Sauce to Life and Leadership Excellence,” says reactive hiring can be a big mistake: “To have a world-class team, you need to be recruiting all the time, not just when you have a vacancy.” Build a network and create a list of top people to contact who would fit with your organization and have the necessary skill set.
- Not properly introducing the company to the candidate. A part of the hiring process that often gets overlooked is telling the candidate in detail about what the company offers regarding career path and growth. Let candidates know about learning and development opportunities and discuss the potential of their role in the organization.
- Not screening for soft skills. Identify your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to determine the soft skills needed for the job, and ask behavioral questions during interviews to screen for communication skills, emotional intelligence and other key qualities.
- Writing poor job postings. Be sure the job posting accurately reflects the position and offers a clear view of daily tasks, challenges, and training and mobility opportunities. You can supplement job postings with strong employer branding, such as review sites or video testimonials.
- Talking too much during the interview. You may want to spend time trying to sell your organization, but McDonald says the allocated time for speaking during an interview should be 80% for the candidate and 20% for the interviewer. Ask good questions and then listen, probing for more details when needed.
