The current market for talent is rough. It is harder than ever to find candidates to fit your needs. Though the talent shortage makes things difficult, you can do a few things to be sure you are providing a good candidate experience and flawless hiring process. Don’t make these four mistakes.
Stop Making These Hiring Mistakes!
Being Too Narrow in the Search
One mistake many employers make when they are looking for a new candidate is being too narrow in their search. When you are too specific in your job description, listing every detail down to how many years of experience you’d like them to have. If a candidate sees a long list of required skills and experience, they will be discouraged from applying in the first place. This will greatly decrease the number of candidates you receive for any open position with your company.
Being too narrow will also hurt your chances of building a diverse organization. Building diversity into your hiring strategy will help your company in numerous ways. Diversity has been proven to help improve productivity and boost morale on the job.
Of course, you don’t want to be too broad either. Your job description should give each applicant a clear picture of what you are looking for and what their responsibilities would be. When you provide this in a clear, direct manner, this is less room for misunderstanding between you and your staff. You will meet deadlines and goals because everyone will know what is expected of them. All of this will impact retention and employee satisfaction, two things employers need to be aware of in this market.
Not Using Technology
If you aren’t using technology to your advantage when recruiting and hiring new employees, you’re making a huge mistake. There are a wide number of applications you can be using to source, communicate with, and onboard new employees. First, you should be utilizing some kind of human resources tech to help you sort through applications based on experience and skills. The technology uses keywords to pinpoint candidates who are the best match.
In addition to HR technology, your business should be using social media to source and communicate with candidates too. Social media is a great place to build awareness about open positions within your company. You can also share messages about your company’s mission and overall culture by providing a look at what it is like to work for your business. Many companies do this by sharing videos of “a day in the life” of an employee or different staff stories.
Neglect to Share Details About Company Culture
Which brings us to the next point, candidates are more interested than ever in your company’s values and culture. When you forget or neglect to highlight your company culture in your hiring materials you are losing your chance at making a first impression. Most employees want to work in an environment where they feel comfortable with benefits that provide comfort in their personal lives. So, you want to be sure to highlight what you have to offer in your job description.
Beyond that, once you have employees on board, you should follow up and ask what benefits they would like to see offered by the company. You may be surprised to find out your staff would like remote work options or optional mental health days throughout the year. Talking to your employees about what they’d like from their job can help you improve retention and morale.
Lack of Transparency in Hiring Materials
Transparency is another big selling point for potential employees. You need to be transparent in your job listing about what it is you are offering. Be clear about the position and what it entails. You should also be clear about what your company’s mission is and what type of culture you offer. When you aren’t direct about this information, many candidates will avoid applying altogether. This is because they want an employer who is able to be transparent and direct.
Speaking of being direct, you also need to set up clear hiring policies for your organization. When you don’t have a set hiring policy or strategy in place it can confuse candidates and hiring managers. In some cases, it can even cause your business legal trouble. Either way, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture of you as an employer. You’ll build a reputation as an employer for being secretive and untrustworthy. When there are set policies in place and you are transparent it sets the stage for a better overall candidate experience.
Ready to Take Your Company To The Next Level?
Not doing these things can make it hard for any company to find a quality candidate. Thankfully, there are staffing agencies like Burnett Specialists that can help you with every step of the hiring process. From recruiting to interviewing to onboarding, our team can help you. Get more information about how we can assist you.
