Mistake 1: Looking for a unicorn when a zebra or horse will do just fine. Posted position descriptions tend to include a laundry list of duties that were written when the position was first created. Nearly every job changes over time as a result of new technology, shifts in the team dynamics, changes in best practices, or based on the unique abilities of the person holding the position.
More often than not, these position summaries do not accurately reflect the job as it currently exists, or more importantly what the job will look like down the road. When hiring managers, or HR professionals creates a job posting, they are often working with inaccurate or limited information. This creates a search for an individual that may or may not exist.
Solution: Before posting a vacancy, take a look at what the team and organization need as a whole. Focus on talent rather than just duties. Try to establish a true understanding what is needed on Day 1, vs what can be learned over time! Try to make sure you are recruiting someone with the skills to fulfill the duties of the position as it currently exists, AND which reflect the true needs of the department and company for the foreseeable future. Mistake 2: Relying on automation or a single source to find talent. Keywords are great for your website. Hashtags are great for social media. However, if you are solely using automation to perform an initial screen of resumes, you may find yourself frustrated by the candidates you are seeing. Candidates in the quest to get recognized by automatic processes have learned to cram as many keywords as possible into their resumes. Reliance on computer screening tends to filter out too many great candidates while retaining too many that are under-qualified. And relying on one source of candidates by posting only on your company website or a single general job board will just increase the time required to fill your vacancies. Solution: Identify the ideal sources, recruiters, or niche job boards to find specialized talent, which will streamline your recruiting and hiring processes. Even if you have an internal recruiting team, outside recruiters will help your organization identify top active, and most importantly passive talent. This gives hiring managers, human resources staff, and internal recruiters the necessary time to focus on qualified candidates. Mistake 3: Only recruiting when there is a vacancy. Every industry has turnover. But some positions have higher attrition rates than others. If you continue to wait for someone to move on from your organization before you start recruiting – especially in frequently exiting departments or positions – you are constantly playing catch-up.
Solution: Continually recruit so you can cultivate a pipeline of great talent. This will increase your attraction with passive talent and decrease the occurrence of chronic or stubborn vacancies. Recruiting great talent is the goal of every organization. By avoiding these three common hiring mistakes, you can find, attract, and ultimately hire top talent more quickly and easily.
Feel free to reach out directly to discuss this topic further as well as any other questions or concerns regarding the current hiring climate. I guarantee that in our call together you will leave with 2 or 3 ideas that will greatly impact your ability to find, attract, and procure the top 10-15% of the candidate pool on a consistent basis.
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