As we discussed yesterday, hiring a new employee and doing the job right the first time can be an extremely difficult task for employers, and comes with several opportunities for mistakes to occur. So, continuing from the previous list of common hiring mistakes as identified by executive search firms, here are the final five out of 10 errors that employers should seek to avoid in the hiring process.
- 6. All Talking and No Listening
Far too often when it comes to the interview, the interviewees will find themselves talking more than they are listening. When this happens you are no longer interviewing the candidate – you’re selling the position. Studies have shown that employers should spend only 20 percent of an interview talking, leaving the other 80 percent open to hear what the candidate has to say.
- 7. Not Properly Checking References
Frequently, given the rush that employers will put on getting an opening filled, the employer will overlook the reference-checking process, or fail to conduct it thoroughly. Reference checks have long been a fixture of the hiring process because of the valuable information they can provide about a candidate. Failing to follow through with this task can mean missing some important detail about the candidate or their history that you might have otherwise learned, and which might prevent you from making a bad hiring choice.
- 8. Taking Too Long to Decide
When an interview is over and an employer says that most common phrase, “you’ll hear from us in X to X days/weeks,” candidates then expect this of the employer. Failing to stick to the decision making time period offered to a candidate reflects poorly on the employer and can drive the candidate away. This is not to say that the employer should rush the decision, but, if more time is need or something comes up that temporarily puts the hiring process on hold, this information needs to be communicated to the candidate so they know what to expect.
- 9. Dragging Out the Offer
Once a fit candidate has been selected and it is time to make the job offer, do not drag this process out. While, yes, there is typically some degree of discussion and negotiation that must be conducted before both parties can come to a suitable agreement, this should be done in a well-organized and timely manner. Many candidates in the past have become overly frustrated by a company’s inability to move this process along and have abandoned the opportunity for it.
10. Not Including the Team in the Process
Employers should always keep in mind that, if hired, a candidate will not be working alone but with a team of other individuals. This team’s input and opinion of a candidate can be a valuable thing and should always be taken into consideration throughout each stage of the hiring process. Ignoring such advice is a sure way to make a bad call and hire a candidate that may not mesh well with the rest of the team and only creates problems. The easiest way of avoiding this problem can be to include team members in the interview process, allowing them to interact with the candidates and give their feedback.
Given that an executive search firm spends their days refining the process of hunting down and recruiting candidates on various companies’ behalf, it seems safe to say that they have a fairly deep understanding of the hiring process and how to avoid any undue mistakes that may occur during these undertakings. Therefore, by following their advice on avoiding these 10 mistakes, employers can greatly reduce the complications inherent in the hiring process, and will be able to better ensure that they make the right hiring decision the first time around, making this process as smooth and painless as possible
