What is the biggest mistake in recruiting?

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE IN RECRUITING?

We are all aware of how legally dangerous the area of recruiting is and although there are a lot of potential mistakes – the biggest mistake is setting out without a clear picture of what you are actually looking for!  We need a clear and legal Job Description!

DID YOU KNOW?  Since the Americans with Disabilities Act, the government has mandated rewriting almost every description!

Applicants:
Let’s look at it from the point of view of the applicants.  They need to know what you are looking for to see if your job is a good fit for them.  If your Job Description of the open position is vague, you might see the really good candidates steering clear.  They will be able to tell that you don’t have your “act” together.  However, unqualified candidates will line up around the block! With a vague Job Description, almost all candidates can convince themselves that they are a good fit and are qualified for your job!

In this case, your pool of candidates doesn’t even include the best prospects and may be full of unqualified people that you have to search through.

The Evaluation Process:
Without a clear idea of what you are looking for, the evaluation processes are essentially meaningless. Your interviews will be more small talk and general beating-about-the-bush instead of actually having solid questions that relate to the job.  You may make a decision based on personality and likeability instead of if the applicant is really a fit for the position.

If you do make a job offer, what is the likelihood that you will end up with a well-qualified hire? Not high.

Start with a Job Description:
The bottom line is that if you have used a well-written job description to prepare recruiting materials, applicants can make a much more focused decision as to whether your open position is a good fit for them.  The better candidates will eagerly apply when they see a believable job description that matches their expertise.

Unqualified people will still apply, but most will screen themselves out and the ones who don’t won’t be surprised when they don’t advance to the next round!

Selection:
With a clear list of job skills, abilities, and competencies you need for your open position, you can prepare a list of questions to find out what you need to know about the candidates.

This article adapted from HR Daily Advisor

Tags: HR, HR consulting, Human Resources, job descriptions, Recruiting