Recruiting new staff can be time consuming and costly, so attracting the right candidates who will prove a long-term asset to a business is crucial. Time and time again, however, many recruiters fail to find the right people to work for them, which, in many instances, could have been avoided from the outset. Here are 10 things that unsuccessful recruiters do all the time.
1) Not doing any planning:
Recruitment efforts often fall at the first hurdle from lack of planning. Take responsibility for your actions and efforts by planning every stage of the process and understanding what is involved.
2) Failing to understand the job role:
Many recruiters fail because they do not understand what the role is about. Vague job descriptions will not attract interest, and incorrect descriptions will only encourage the wrong candidates to apply. Make sure you are fully briefed about a job before the recruitment process begins.
3) Failing to understand candidate requirements:
Understanding what kind of person would be suitable for a role, including their skill and achievement requirements, is key. Recruiters who fail have often not taken the time to work out what kind of person they want.
4) Not asking the right questions:
One of the top reasons a recruiter can fail in their endeavours is that they have not asked the right questions during the recruitment process. If you do not ask the right questions, you can not get the information you need to sniff out the best candidate for the job.
5) Advertising in the wrong place:
The best job in the world will not attract the best candidates if it is advertised in the wrong place. Know your target audience and which online or offline sources or publications they are likely to use, and advertise your job accordingly.
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6) Not making use of online resources:
These days, if you do not use online resources as part of your recruitment process, then it can leave you lagging behind your competitors. Applicants increasingly expect most stages of the recruitment process to be done online.
7) Not ‘selling’ the job/company:
Recruitment is a two-way process. You are looking for the right candidate but, crucially, the candidate is sussing out if you are right for them. If you want to attract the highest calibre candidates, the job/company should sound enticing. Keep your website and social media pages up to date and presentable, and portray your business in the best light.
8) Not being upfront:
Many businesses are unsuccessful in their recruitment endeavours because they fail to be upfront about aspects of the role or business. Right from the word go, be as clear and succinct as possible about the job, working hours, pay, conditions, for instance. Never lie just to encourage applications.
9) Not acting on feedback:
Make use of any feedback you are given during past or current recruitment efforts. This could present opportunities to improve and hone the recruitment process going forward.
10) Giving up:
It can take a while to attract the right candidate, especially for more senior positions, so try to remain positive, even if you have not had much interest in the beginning. Those organisations who fail to recruit may be too hasty to find someone, often resulting in failures along the way.
Author: Satnam Brar is Managing Director of Maximus IT. Maximus is an Oracle Gold Partner which specialises in recruitment in the ERP, CRM & Database sectors, specifically ORACLE, MS Dynamics, Salesforce.com and SAP.
