The recruiting process can be a scary and nerve-racking task. Mistakes will be made and learned from, candidates will be lost and found. But, filling positions doesn’t have to be panic-inducing. Put yourself and your company in a position to succeed by avoiding these 7 deadly sins of recruiting.
Think your company name and reputation are enough to have the best candidates lining up at your door? Think again. Top talent needs to know why they should choose you over your competition. Don’t let big-brand ego get in the way of marketing your employment brand to today’s discerning job seekers. Even if candidates are familiar with your brand, they may not be familiar with your company culture. Give them a reason to be as excited about working for you as they are about your products and services with a designated career site complete with video, employee testimonials and a clean listing of available jobs.
Nearly 50 percent of web traffic is from mobile devices. Putting all of your eggs in the desktop-only basket could be costing you top candidates. Instead, make sure you’re optimizing your career site and application process for mobile devices too. Investing in a mobile optimized candidate experience, one that enables candidates to apply to your open jobs with the swipe of a finger, is a must.
From the beginning stages of the application process to the very end, candidates expect to know where they are in the process. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) have a reputation for long processes. Avoid losing candidates at any point in the application process by providing an experience that’s anything but lazy. Candidate relationship management software provides an effective resource for easily building and managing a pipeline of qualified candidates, ensuring your candidates have a first-class experience with your brand.
You’re looking for a candidate that matches every bullet point on a long list of experience, prerequisites and requirements. But, while you’re honing in on the candidate’s resume qualifications, you could be missing out on some important characteristics that can’t be expressed on paper. Ambition, enthusiasm, drive, cultural fit — all traits that can take your business to the next level. Don’t forget to evaluate the candidate’s long-term potential and ask yourself it what they lack in experience or skills can be balanced out with training and leadership.
Another open position, another daunting job posting to write. Job postings shouldn’t be fury-inducing. When done right, they can be an effective tool to communicate your brand values, work environment and job responsibilities — resulting in applications from qualified applicants thus inducing happiness in return. Resist the urge to copy and paste job descriptions from old job postings. Spend extra time to make them right and you’ll be rewarded with better applicants.
Stop being envious of your competition and get ahead of the game. Understand what makes you unique and share those values on your career site. Reach out to passive applicants by showcasing your employment brand through storytelling — be it via video, testimonials, pictures or a combination of all. Highlight the traits your culture thrives on and you’ll open your company up to candidates with tons of potential to become your next start hire.
Sure, spamming prospects by the masses is one strategy that may work for some. But, you’ll likely receive a large quantity of mediocre clients vs. quality ones. We suggest a more proactive approach focused on resonating with the right applicants for your unique culture. To get in front of the best candidates, both passive and active, make your employment brand a top priority and watch your candidate pool go from eerie to awesome.
