8 Common Mistakes to Avoid While Hiring Candidates

Recruitment can be a major drain on your time, money and resources, especially if your hiring process is not designed in the most efficient and effective manner possible. Some mistakes made by interviewers and recruiters can impact your company’s bottom line tremendously, whether in terms of increased hiring costs or employing the wrong person.

Top 8 common hiring mistakes that you should avoid while screening candidates

1. Vague Job Descriptions

   Inaccurate, incomplete or unattractive job descriptions could turn off good candidates before they even apply. You don’t want to waste time sorting through the riff-raff applying only because a position is open, so include essentials like skill sets, experience, responsibilities, etc., and make it snappy too!

2. Unprofessional-Looking Websites

   If you’re posting open positions on your company website or including a link to it on job portals, ensure it makes the right impression. Add your logo, keep it clean and simple, and include a contact form. Of course, not having a site is equally bad, since applicants are unlikely to take you seriously at all.

3. Slow Response Time

   The job market is highly competitive, and not just in terms of candidates vying against each other for a certain position. Other companies are just waiting for the chance to snap up a qualified and experienced individual, so make sure you don’t let candidates feel ignored or forgotten.

4. Skipping Phone/Video Interviews

   No, phone interviews are not passé. Even a few minutes spent talking to someone can give you a good idea of how well they might fit in your company’s culture, their grasp on the languages they claim fluency in, their expectations, attitude and more. Scheduling a video chat is even better.

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5. Being Unprepared

   Just as companies want applicants to have some idea about their business activities and brand presence, candidates appreciate recruiters taking the time to read through their resumes before calling them in for an interview. This also helps save time, since you aren’t looking for answers already on the CV!

6. #Nofilter (Too Many Applicants)

   Unless you want to deal with a crowd of unqualified people that drowns out the perfect fit, filter incoming resumes before scheduling interviews. Otherwise, it becomes difficult to keep track of who said what, potential issues that crossed your mind, and putting the right name to the face.

7. Too Many Interviewers

   This is as important as the point above. Ensure that only the necessary recruiters/HR personnel and management are present during an interview, i.e. those whose inputs are actually crucial for shortlisting or hiring candidates. Avoid wasting their time and overwhelming applicants too.

8. Not Checking References

   Trust is great, but you need to follow through on what each potential employee claims to have done in the past. You’d be surprised at how easily some people can exaggerate the truth, from where (or if) they went to school and degrees/qualifications, to achievements at their previous employment.

An Applicant Tracking System plays a huge role in minimizing hiring mistakes, especially with customizable features like automated email responses and interview schedule reminders. With built-in calendar integration, website sharing, bulk resume uploading and a host of other features, Jobsoid is a flexible and scalable solution for all your recruitment needs. Sign up for a free trial now!