Imagine trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle — that describes what HR professionals face when trying to fill a vacant role in an organization. But guess what? That's not even the main issue. Overburdening other workers with an extra workload each week and dealing with the economic loss associated with an empty role (especially if it's a critical position) makes it too overwhelming.
Hiring the right person for a particular role usually comes at a cost, but that cost can waste time, energy, and resources if the wrong person is hired. It is estimated that the cost of hiring the wrong person is about 30 percent of an employee's annual salary.
For this reason, hiring right is a big deal. While HR executives often work hard to solve that jigsaw puzzle in the shortest time possible, care must be taken not to push the wrong piece into the wrong space by making any of these hiring mistakes:
Not Defining the Job Description
To successfully hire the right candidate for any role, some things must be sorted out during the preparation stage. This includes defining the job description, personality, and skills that the right candidate must have, as well as the background and experience that the person must have. In some cases, HR needs to seek the insights of the team members and team lead concerning the attitude the new employee must have to succeed when the role is filled.
The job description must be clear and not misleading in any way. It should be up-to-date as well. This should also indicate the minimum and maximum hourly commitment expected for that role.
Ideally, the job description should explain the primary and secondary responsibilities of the new hire, the company culture, and any other information needed to land the best fit for the role. This information makes it easy for HR to skip over unqualified candidates and focus on those with the correct skillset and background.
Avoiding Technology
What if the jigsaw puzzle has built-in artificial intelligence that functions as an assistant, nudging you from time to time and giving hints on what moves to make and which pieces to move each time? Would you ignore it? Most likely, not.
But some HR professionals still underestimate the usefulness of technologies like Applicant Tracking Systems and Artificial intelligence for making the right hiring decisions. Thanks to technology, so much stress no longer exists in the hiring and interview process.
Instead of sifting through hundreds and thousands of emails, hiring managers can use basic HR technology to screen out the wrong candidates and narrow them down to the right ones. Eventually, it saves you time, energy, and resources. In all fairness, it will be unwise not to leverage current HR technology, especially regarding hiring.
Talking Instead of Listening to More
Ideally, interviewers ought to speak less and allow the candidates to do more of the talking. An 80-20% ratio is perfect. Since the interviewer is looking to learn more about the candidate’s experience, they should be ready to listen and let them talk.
Avoid asking close-ended questions like “Do you have the experience we need for this job.” Instead, ask open-ended questions like, “Tell me about a previous role where you handled a similar role or responsibility.” Or, “How do you think your experience will help you succeed in this role?”
The interviewer will be able to get more information this way than they’d otherwise get with a different approach. While this allows you to learn as much as possible from the candidates, you might also want to regulate the responses to ensure they are on point and specific to the questions being asked.
Skipping Background Checks and References
Understandably, every candidate will put their best foot forward. Candidates often hire resume writers to help prep their resumes for job interviews. Sometimes, they are not as sound as they are on paper. Some others may have the skillset and the required experiences but lack the skills to sell themselves correctly on paper.
Also, to be sure that the seemingly sterling and outstanding candidates do not have histories that jeopardize their position on the job or put your business at risk of losing customers or money, it makes sense to carry out a background check on them.
While checking background history and referrals may not be necessary for every position, it just might save the company some headaches in the future. Besides, you’ll be doubly sure that the information the candidate is selling to you checks out well.
Failing to Conduct Attitude Assessment
Attitude assessment is another area you don’t want to skip on. During interviews, if possible, there’s an opportunity to get a sense of the candidates’ work approach and personalities.
This helps the interviewer understand how a particular candidate will perform if hired. This is especially true if the company hires for culture fit or to build a more diverse and inclusive team.
For instance, if the candidate does not like to work under stringent conditions or in a system with too many protocols, hiring them will be a mistake if the company operates under strict or closely monitored processes. The new employee will have difficulty fitting into the organization’s workplace policy, and the organization may suffer because the employee doesn’t fit in.
Want to Learn More?
Lots of HR professionals and hiring managers make many avoidable mistakes when hiring. Even with the repertoire of tips and help available on the internet, we still get inquiries from HR executives about hiring the right hiring strategies.
Luckily, with simple HR solutions, you can simplify the hiring jigsaw puzzle. At Mission, we do not only offer businesses the services and solutions they need to make the right hiring decisions.
We also bring our years of experience and wealth of insight to the consultation table, providing you with answers to all your bugging HR and outsourcing needs. Don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you have further questions about hiring right.
