Top 10 Employee Recruitment Mistakes Businesses Make

When , you must have a clear idea of the skills, experience, and characteristics you are looking for and a good plan in place to attract and assess high-quality job candidates. However, too many businesses make the same mistakes repeatedly, costing themselves time and money in the process. The most common employee recruitment mistakes include the following:

1. Failing to look for candidates in-house first

One of the most common employee recruitment mistakes business owners make it to look outside the company to begin with. Often, the best candidates may be right under your nose. Not considering your in-house employees can not only cause you to bypass some very good candidates, but can also have a negative effect on morale and team spirit.

2. Looking for an exact replica

Some people think you should look for a person who has done the exact same job in the exact same industry at a very similar company. But that overlooks innovation, new ideas, and potential progress. Past behavior is an indicator of future behavior, provided nothing ever changes. Since that's not the case in the business world, you are often served well by skilled candidates who have something new to offer.

3. Not explaining the hiring process

If you will have the top candidates come in for three interviews over a period of a month, let them know. Also, give them a target date for the completion of the process. Leaving candidates in the dark about what will happen next can be bad for the reputation of your business.

4. Not involving your employees in the process

In a small business environment, it's particularly valuable to let your current employees know that you're trying to fill a position. You might include some of them in the interview process. They will feel a greater sense of ownership in a company when they are involved in some manner. They may already know of good candidates, which would make your job easier.

5. Lack of a set time frame

There are job ads that appear in newspapers for many months, which gives the appearance that these companies are not seriously looking to recruit new candidates. Set up a time frame in which you will recruit candidates, narrow down the pool, interview the best ones, and hire someone.

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6. Paying too much for an outside recruiter

While large companies can afford to hire a professional recruiter, most small businesses should not spend money on recruiters, which may or may not bring in the best candidates.

7. Always using the same source

Whether you are using an employment-related website such as Monster.com or Indeed.com, a local newspaper or job board, or another method to get the word out, you increase your chances of finding good candidates by using different sources to advertise the open position.

8. Not having managers and other key people involved

If the employee will report to a specific manager or managers, they should participate in the hiring process.

9. Not providing a complete job description

You slow down the recruiting process significantly by interviewing people who should not be applying for the position in the first place. By providing an accurate description of the job, you can narrow down your candidate pool and make the process easier.

10. Looking for a superhero

There are job descriptions that go on and on endlessly, looking for a specific background, traits, characteristics, degrees, specific computer skills, and so on. This is usually the result of too many people involved in the recruitment process. In the end, time is wasted and the position is rarely filled because nobody measures up. When recruiting, do not set standards that only a superhero can meet.