Recruiting Mistakes That Limit Your Candidate Pool Quality

Recruiting Mistakes That Limit Your Candidate Pool Quality Top 4 Recruiting Mistakes That Limit the Quality of Your Candidate Pool Talent acquisition remains a major challenge for companies. Plenty of human resources managers (45% according to a 2013 CareerBuilder survey) say their company has difficulty finding qualified candidates for their open positions. Take a hard look at how effective you are at filling key positions, and get past the methods that are holding you back. From a headhunter’s perspective, here are four (4) surprisingly common behaviors that may be costing you time and money in your search for the perfect candidate. Selecting Candidates with Similar Job Titles Hiring managers typically select those who have previously held the same job title. Every other candidate, regardless of potential or skill level and experience, is often placed in a subjective disadvantage.   This screening method also poses major limitations. For example, job titles vary greatly by firm and rarely do they precisely measure a candidate’s ability. It also holds back up-and-coming professionals or skilled workers in other professions. Disregarding the Long-Term Unemployed There is a greatly undeserved connotation associated with the long-term unemployed. Many employers see the long-term jobless as “damaged goods.” Don’t toss out untold numbers of qualified candidates by making it a blanket policy to filter out the long-term unemployed. Studies show that there is no correlation between length of unemployment and future performance. Succumbing to the “I-Need-Someone-Right-Now” Condition Efforts at retaining key talent become top priority in a difficult job market. Recruiting then takes a backseatonly turned to during the need to fill a vacancy. Recruiting only when a vacancy arises, however, has major drawbacks. It leaves the hiring manager or recruiter with little time and resources to fill the position quickly. Instead, have a continuous recruitment strategy in place, even when your organization doesn’t have an open position, and engage with prospective candidates. Failing to Provide an Accurate and Detailed Job Description A job description outlines the necessary skills, education, and training needed by a potential employee. It spells out the responsibilities and duties of the job. Offering a fuzzy job description can result in a multitude of applicants applying for the job. It can make short-listing a nightmare. Instead of looking for an “operations ninja,” which has been advertised before, look for an “operations manager” which is definitely clearer and less confusing. At the moment, it’s a recruiters market, and you probably find yourself sifting through piles of unsuitable job applications more than ever before. Avoid these mistakes, and you can make sure that only the best candidates apply. Even if you’ve managed to navigate away from these pitfalls, there’s always a way you can improve the quality of your candidate pool.   For more information on talent acquisition, contact the experts at 360training.com.