Hiring decisions can make or break businesses. A bad hire can cost a business hundreds of thousands of dollars and a good hire can save even more. Many businesses are making major hiring mistakes that put their business in jeopardy without even realizing it. Next time you start your hiring process, make sure you aren't making these costly mistakes.
Prioritizing Credentials over Fit
Anyone who has hired in the past year knows that the act of finding candidates is easy. The act of finding qualified candidates is quite a bit harder. To combat the flood of resumes, many companies include highly specified "requirements" for the position rather than sorting through those who meet the minimum. While this reduces the amount of time spent on the hiring process, it can also prevent hiring managers from finding the right fit for the company in lieu of credentials.
When you start the hiring process this time around, don't make the credentials so tight that only a handful of candidates meet the requirements. Instead, sort through your options to find someone who has the right education and also the right personality to fit into your business.
Relying on Interviews
A University of Michigan study on job performance found that job interviews only increase your chance of picking the right candidate by two percent. That tiny increase comes at the cost of time and productivity spent preparing, scheduling, and conducting interviews. If multiple interviews are your primary means of hiring, you may want to reassess your process. While it's important to meet potential candidates face-to-face, a lengthy and multi-part interview process doesn't improve chances of picking the right candidate and may even muddy the waters when hiring.
Not Calling References
References have been a mainstay on resumes for decades, but many companies have forgone contacting these references in recent years. Most companies have stopped giving specific references for their former employees and personal references are seen as unhelpful in the hiring process, but calling these references can yield ample information. Asking the right questions can help you determine work style and professionalism with past co-workers and managers. Don't throw out the reference sheet on your next candidate. Instead, contact these employers and friends to get a candid look at their work ethic.
Presenting a Canned Job Description
One of the biggest mistakes companies make during the hiring process starts before they've conducted a single interview. A canned job description can do more damage to your candidate search than any other piece of the hiring process. Businesses that customize their job descriptions attract better candidates that understand the job going into the interview. Businesses that neglect to create an individualized job description attract more candidates, but less qualified candidates and those candidates that take a scattershot approach to being hired.
Waiting for "The One"
Just like hiring the wrong candidate can be detrimental to a business, leaving a position open to find your dream candidate can be just as bad. Empty positions leave remaining employees overworked and managers scrambling to find coverage. Companies that refuse to make adjustments to experience or credentials often find their workers overburdened and their position unable to be filled. There will rarely be a perfect fit for your position, so shaking off that notion and focusing on finding a good fit can help jumpstart your hiring process.
The hiring process is painful enough without making costly mistakes. To get better candidates and streamline your hiring, assess your current process to see if you're making these costly hiring mistakes.
