Don’t miss the boat when it comes to hiring the right candidate

Don’t miss the boat when it comes to hiring the right candidate

Procrastination, uncertainty, not trusting yourself – whatever the reasons – missing out on hiring the right candidate is a huge lost opportunity for a business.

Large international brands have the luxury of being able to attract top talent.

However, SMEs can really struggle when it comes to the talent war.

Interestingly though, many candidates are opting to work for SMEs rather than the large corporates or known brands for a number of reasons: the business might be closer to their home, work/life balance, cross-sectional experience in the business etc.

Yet despite candidates being willing to work for SMEs, time and time again we see these SMEs let slip the best person for the job.

Here are some of the main reasons why SMEs miss out on hiring not just the right candidate but the  best candidate.

Not trusting the recruiter

The main aim for a good recruiter is to short-list and present to you the ideal candidates for the position.  You gave the recruiter a brief as to the ideal hire so now trust the recruiter will go and do their job. Calling in several recruiters at one time is extremely frustrating. There are only so many candidates that will fit the role so when several recruiters are talking to the same candidates about the same role it makes the company look inefficient and wastes the candidates and recruiters time

After presenting the hiring manager with the short-list of candidates, we then typically hear – ‘are there any more?’  Yes, there are more candidates however you are being presented with the best fit candidates.

The never-ending interview processes

First interview, second interview, psychometric assessment, IQ/EQ testing, panel interview can be part of the normal process. If so, then keep the timeline as short as possible .

Some interview processes seem like marathons. The  frustration for the candidate having to jump through so many hoops can led to fatigue and no doubt they are also looking at other jobs. When  another job offer comes in during the long drawn our process they may end up taking an easier option.

Please don’t get me wrong – for sure there are some positions that require this level of rigour in the interview process – yet, if you don’t need to do it, then don’t.

Keep the interview process clean, concise and targeted.

Unclear brief for the recruiter

Hiring brief needs to be clear and defined.  The only way to do this is for the hiring manager and the recruiter to work together.

Scope-creep can not only be a time waster, yet also send everyone off on tangents.

Here’s what scope-creep can look like – ‘I want to hire a Work Health and Safety professional and it’d be really good if they also had accounting and project management skills’

When this happens, everyone is being set up to fail.

So, keep the hiring brief focused and targeted. What are the soft skills required? What do you want this person to achieve in the first year? Is it realistic?

Do you have approval to hire?

Sounds crazy, yet how many times we’ve been in a situation where after finding the right candidate, then only to hear from the hiring manager that the role has not yet been approved by management.

Not only is this unprofessional, it is totally unfair on everyone’s time – not the least being the candidate.

Respect for the candidate

The candidate is the last person in this chain of events and yet the most important.

The candidates are talking to the company on the expectation that the company is looking to hire

Imagine going through the short-list process and interviews with a view from the company that they may not be looking to hire for another 4-6 months – they are just testing the waters to see what’s out there.

Again, this is very unfair for the candidate and a sure-fire way of gaining a bad reputation.

Only start the process when you ready to commit to hiring.

OK, so if these are the mistakes, what can we do about them.

Here are 5 tips to help you along in your hiring process.

1. Trust your recruiter – be it internal or external. This is the foundation of any successful relationship.  If you don’t have trust – then find someone you can trust.
2. Define and streamline the interview process – if psychometric testing is not really needed, then get rid of it. Make sure the candidate has a positive experience with the process.
3. Ensure the hiring brief is clear, concise and focused.
4. Always have respect for the candidate – set expectations and be realistic. Yet at the same time don’t string them along.  If you still have 3 or 4 more candidates to interview after the current one, then keep that to yourself.
5. Finally – do it! If you come across the right candidate and all seems right – then you may need to short-cut the process and offer them the job.  Over analysing can and will lead to lost opportunities.

Contact us today on +61 2 9634 5912 if you’d like us to help you with any of your recruitment requirements.