Common Hiring Mistakes

The hiring process requires attention to detail and precise planning. It doesn’t just consist of a quick job posting and — boom — you have the perfect candidate. If you want the right person for the job, you’ll need to take your time, prepare a comprehensive job description, conduct phone interviews and in-person interviews, and assess the candidate’s hard and soft skills as well as how they will fit into your company’s culture. 

In today’s blog, we will be discussing some of the most common hiring mistakes. Continue reading to learn how to avoid these mistakes and hire the best candidate for the job!

American Recruiting & Consulting Group can help you find the ideal candidate for almost any job. We match individuals with companies for IT, healthcare, human resources, high-level executives, and many other fields. Contact us today to get started!

Incomplete or Antiquated Job Descriptions

You are more likely to attract candidates that are a good fit for the job if they know exactly what the job entails. It’s important to include education and experience requirements, daily, weekly, and monthly duties, goal expectations, ideal personal characteristics, and even a little bit about the training period. You want your prospective employees to have a clear and concise picture of the exact job they are applying for.

When you use an incomplete or out-dated job description, you are more likely to get candidates that don’t have any interest in the actual job because they don’t fully understand what it is. If you describe your ideal candidate as a hardworking, quick learner that has experience in your company’s field, many people will fit that description.

If you go into a little more detail and explain hard skills, soft skills, physical requirements, and education minimums. Include personality traits that are helpful for this specific job, and you are steering your job description toward more qualified individuals. Once you include a short description of what the day-to-day requires, you will be narrowing down your results to people who have an actual interest in the job. 

Taking the time to create an updated, complete job description will make sorting through resumes easier. It helps you attract well-qualified candidates who are enthusiastic about the job opening.

Judging Candidates on Only Hard Skills

It’s easy to look over a resume and judge a candidate on their experience and education, but what about their potential? What about their positive attitude, dedicated demeanor, and their ambition? You probably won’t see these listed in their skills section, but that doesn’t mean they are any less important. 

While many jobs do require special skills and experience, a person with only the hard skills who has no work ethic can be detrimental to your company. Your ideal candidate should possess both. 

If you are hiring for a job that requires skills that can be easily taught, you might want to consider a candidate’s soft skills more important. Hiring an intelligent person who has less experience that is changing fields and has incredible ambition and dedication may be more beneficial for your company. 

Skipping the Phone Interview

Phone interviews can help save you and the candidate time. You can ask about credentials, ensure that the pay matches the candidate’s salary requirements, go over the job description, and then see if they are still interested before you take the time for a formal interview. 

Failing to Be an Active Listener

When you interview a potential employee, ensure that you are listening to them just as much as you are talking, if not more. The interview process helps the candidate and the hiring manager decide whether they are a good fit. It’s important to ask questions and relay information, but it’s also crucial to listen to their answers and see if they have any questions. 

Neglecting to Check References

Once you get through the interview process and you have found the perfect candidate for the job, don’t forget to check their references. Make sure that they really do have the experience that they claim. Even call some of their professional references to find out how they work with others. 

Not Following Through with Background Checks

You’ve put together a comprehensive job description, held phone interviews, in-person interviews, and you have found your ideal candidate and checked their references. Don’t forget to follow through with their background check. It’s important to know who you are hiring. Any potential employee who has nothing to hide won’t mind submitting to a background check. This is a crucial, yet sometimes overlooked phase. Before you commit to hiring any individual, check their education and work history. 

Avoid Common Hiring Mistakes with American Recruiting & Consulting Group

If you are searching for the best candidate for an opening at your company, don’t fall victim to any of these common hiring mistakes. American Recruiting & Consulting Group will find ideal candidates that possess both the hard and soft skills that you are looking for. Contact us today to get started!