Boo there, recruiters! 👻
As the scary hour of the hiring season approaches, it’s time to shine a lantern on some chilling recruiting mistakes that might be haunting your process.
So, grab your pumpkin spice latte, and let’s exorcise these recruitment horrors before they scare away your dream candidates!
1. Asking boring close-ended questions
You finally sit across a candidate you’ve been dying to meet. You open your trusty notebook and start firing off questions like:
- “What’s your greatest weakness?”
- “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
- “If you were an animal, what would you be?”
Yawn.
These close-ended, predictable interview questions are a thing of the past. They don’t give you any real insight into the candidate, and worse, they make you look like you’ve copy-pasted your interview strategy from a 1990s career guide.
Instead, ask open-ended questions like Rroot that get them talking about real situations.
Trust me, you’ll learn a lot more about your candidate, and they might even stay awake during the interview!
2. Considering experience, the master
I get it.
When you’re drowning in resumes, it’s tempting to use years of experience as your lifeline. “5+ years required” sounds good on paper, right?
Wrong.
You might pass up on some incredible talent by focusing solely on experience.
Remember, some of the most successful people in tech were college dropouts (no pressure, but think Zuckerberg and Gates).
Instead of counting years, look for candidates with the right behaviors and potential.
A fresh grad with a killer portfolio and a can-do attitude might run circles around someone with a decade of experience.
3. Keeping a lengthy hiring process
We’ve all been there—you find a fantastic candidate, and then your hiring process turns into the longest process.
There are multiple interviews, take-home assignments, panel discussions, and coffee meetings.
Meanwhile, your dream candidate is probably fielding offers from companies that don’t treat hiring like a marathon.
Speed is your friend here.
Streamline your hiring process. You might need to revisit your evaluation criteria if you can’t decide after 2-3 well-structured interviews.
4. Disregarding the mobile-friendliness
News flash: We’re not living in the early 2000s, and people do everything on their phones, including job hunting.
If your application process isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re telling many candidates, “Thanks, but no thanks.”
And trust me, they’re saying the same thing right back.
Ensure your careers page, job postings, and application forms work seamlessly on mobile devices.
Bonus points if you allow easy uploads from cloud storage!
5. Ignoring the internal talent
Here’s a wild idea: some of your best candidates might already be working for you!
Internal recruitment is often overlooked, but it’s a cost-effective solution.
These candidates already know your company culture, understand your products or services, and probably have great ideas for improving things.
Plus, showing room for growth is a great way to keep your current employees engaged and reduce turnover. Win-win!
6. Playing the ghosting game
Spoiler: Everyone loses.
Look, I know your inbox is probably bursting at the seams, and your to-do list is longer than your grocery list!
But that’s no excuse for ghosting candidates.
Leaving candidates hanging is the fastest way to burn bridges and ruin your company’s reputation.
Word gets around, and soon, you’ll be known as the “black hole” where applications go to die.
Even a quick automated email is better than radio silence. And for candidates who’ve made it to the interview stage? They deserve a personal response, even if it’s not good news.
Remember, every interaction is a chance to showcase why someone would want to work for your company. Make those interactions count!
Frequently asked question
1. Is it a recruiting mistake if I don’t provide feedback to candidates who didn’t make the cut?
Yes, it is!
Leaving candidates in the dark is another big hiring mistake you must avoid. Constructive feedback helps them improve for future opportunities and leaves them with a positive impression of your company.
2. How can I assess a candidate’s potential rather than just their experience?
Look for their ability to learn and adapt, like a shapeshifter adjusting to new forms. Ask about times they’ve quickly mastered new skills or technologies. Consider giving candidates a small project or problem to solve during the interview to see their skills in action.
3. Is it really necessary to update job descriptions for every opening?
Yes, unless you want your job descriptions to read like ancient scrolls! Regular updates ensure you’re attracting the right talent for your current needs.
4. How do I politely reject candidates without ghosting them?
Craft a template email that’s kind and informative, like a well-written cold-calling script. Personalize it slightly for candidates who’ve interviewed.
For top candidates who didn’t quite cut, consider keeping in touch for future opportunities.
