Five Common Mistakes in Hiring New Employees

Several companies usually complain they can't find best talents to occupy vacant positions in their organizations. We usually hear statements such as "All the good candidates are hired", or "There's nobody good enough in this industry". On the other hand, when they finally found a candidate, they also often complain that the person is not as good as they had expected. Where did it go wrong? The most sensible answer could be in the hiring process. Something is not right.

Hiring an ideal candidate for a vacant position is amongst the most challenging duties for some executives. This is in fact, a combo of science, intuition, and the skill of recognizing and identifying people's qualities.
Excellent recruitment will result in hiring qualified candidates and, in the long run, will help to enhance your company's productivity. However, with no proper preparation and sufficient information about the candidates' background, most likely they will end up hiring a wrong person.

The following are some of the most common mistakes almost all recruiters and managers generally make when recruiting new employees.

1. Hire someone instantly

It is obvious that you need to swap the person who just left his/her position. People come and go. It occurs all the time. The rest of the team probably has more workload now but do not immediately hire a replacement only due to you need a new employee to fulfill the position. Always allow enough time to prescreen the applicants. To be able to evaluate all candidates thoroughly you need time and careful judgement.

2. Only depending on HR department

A lot of times managers just depend on human resources dept to conduct the overall recruitment process. The problem is the HR department can only assess the general requirements, not especially to what your department or the job needs. The one who really understands the important criteria is you. Take part in the process. Simply depending on the HR team is an error.

3. Hiring another 'you'

If you want to raise your company's production, you must have a person with qualities that match the professional requirements. Hiring someone because you feel you have lots of commonalities will make you ignore the necessary qualifications. Don't you think a group of people with different personalities and various cultural backgrounds will help to create a dynamic working atmosphere?

4. Not networking

Through networking you'll have a better chance in acquiring an ideal employee. Quite often people are delighted to recommend a person that they think might be acceptable for your organization. Personal recommendation is still proven to be effective in hiring a new employee. Do some networking.

5. Not considering the unemployed

Most interviewers only select or consider candidates who are currently employed. It makes sense at first. They're employed because they're qualified for the job. However, do you really believe those who do not have jobs at the moment don't fit the criteria? There could be a star out there. Today, there are plenty of excellent talents that are not hired. They're likely just unlucky. It also wouldn't hurt to consider the fact that people keep looking for better career prospects. This could be the reason they leave their earlier jobs.