“Why can’t we find any good job candidates?” A common question hiring managers and business owners ask when they fail to attract job seekers or let go of new hires who are not living up to expectations.
Perhaps it’s not the fault of the talent pool and that of the current hiring process that fails to recruit potential candidates.
So how do we identify what’s broken?
Below I’ve written a guide that will help you improve your hiring process and attract qualified candidates to help you successfully run your business.
Vague Job Descriptions
The most common way of finding job candidates is by posting an advert complete with a job description online, in the newspaper, or in-store. Your business’s failure to receive quality applications is that your job description may be too vague.
By publishing vague job posts, candidates interpret ambiguity, uncertainty, and a lack of interest.
To acquire desirable candidates, specify the worker’s role, responsibilities and duties, skill sets, and location.
Be sure to include the appropriate credentials, licenses, and software required in order to have job-ready candidates go ahead. Otherwise, you risk them taking their professional experience somewhere else where they feel useful.
If you’re unsure of what the job role requires, ask your current team. After all, they are the ones that know what they need in terms of support and how the new hire can benefit the business. Similarly, Google uses a hiring committee to avoid bad hires. Also, consider using an applicant tracking system to filter out any applicants that do not match what your business needs.
Improper Evaluation
When hiring new talent, the team looks for a good fit in terms of company culture. We often look for someone who cannot fulfill the job duties but is also likable.
Hiring managers and entrepreneurs often make the mistake of comparing potential candidates to one another to determine who is more likable and socially acceptable.
Introverted job seekers often have difficulty getting hired in comparison to their extroverted counterparts. The problem with comparing candidates to one another is that the candidates are not properly evaluated against the job description. The job description is the standard for proper evaluation and therefore candidates should be assessed accordingly.
Another example of improper evaluation is when the interviewer speaks more than the job seeker. The purpose is for the business to learn more about the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses, skillset, experience and if he or she is a cultural fit for the company.
In both circumstances, if candidates are not properly assessed to their capabilities, you may be surprised that the hiring process is taking much longer than needed.
Hiring Experience Over Motivation
Hiring managers who interview employees tend to favor job seekers with more work experience during the hiring process. Your team can quickly recognize if the new hire is motivated about the job position by their work ethic and interest in the job and company.
When hiring, consider applicants that have a strategic plan. For instance, an ambitious individual may want to work in the auto industry because he or she has a love for cars, product design, and engineering. Although they do not have years of experience, their motivation will lead them to have an active interest in your company. The applicant with more experience views the company as a function role, as in, they can do the daily tasks.
If you can recognize the active and carefully thought out plan an applicant has, the more likely their motivation will lead them to accelerate their learning and excel.
How do I get better at hiring?
Contact Sherry Winn to develop your leadership and business acumen in order to improve your hiring process.
