Just one bad hire can cause a multitude of problems for a company. Not only does a bad fit cause problems for the team, having to fire and re-hire wastes an employer’s time and money.
Here is a list of the top 10 hiring errors compiled by executive search firms:
1. Weak Job Descriptions
One of the most trivial mistakes that a company can do is make the job description too ambiguous. It needs to be a detailed description with the skills necessary and the education required in order to fill it. Here’s why: A) The candidate does not know how to identify the position or whether it is a match for them, and B) How will the managers know if the candidate is right for the position if they don’t know exactly what tasks the individual will have to perform? The easiest way to write a job description and hit all of your points is to discuss the job with an employee currently holding the position. Ask them to describe the important points and the skills required. We guarantee you’ll learn something in this process – maybe even a few things that will surprise you.
2. Leaving It All Up to HR
While it is a good idea to leave your general hires to the human resources department, you may want to second-guess that if you’re looking for someone to fill a specific position in a specific department. Usually the best option for the department is to look for an individual on its own, this way they can make sure that this individual can be a good fit for the department and carry out the specific duties. This is even truer when a company is seeking upper level management through an executive search, who will need to meet very specific criteria.
3. Rushing
The current economic climate has created an abundance of potential candidates, but finding the right one has become increasingly difficult amongst the pool of hires. Do not sell yourself short and grab the first candidate with a half-decent background. This could be a mistake that will end up costing time and money and put you back at square one.
4. Failing to Communicate
Discuss the job opportunity openly with the candidate. Do not hold back any information. This is not the time to be coy about expectations. Answer any questions they may have to the best of your abilities at any time during the interview. Allowing two-way communication is important and cuts down on confusion that can cause problems down the road.
5. Not Sourcing
Almost any candidate or current employee is a source for referrals for job candidates. It never hurts to ask for referrals to other professionals they might be able to bring you in the recruiting process.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.
