When you start the process of looking for a new employee, you are always going to be taking a risk. There are so many different factors to consider, and so many different choices that you are going to have to make. Even the most experienced business owners can get it wrong and bring someone on board who is entirely the wrong fit for the role and the company. If you are new to the process, here are some of the most common hiring mistakes and the best ways to avoid them.
Not Looking At The Bigger Picture
A lot of companies often have a very rigid structure in place when it comes to filtering through job applications. While this can help narrow your search, it can also lead to you missing out on people who may be able to bring more to your company than you realise. For example, a lot of people found themselves out of work over the last couple of years, leading to a turbulent job market. Not having a steady employment history may not be their fault at all. So, look at what they were doing while they were out of work and ask if their character may be more important than a year or two more experience.
Not Creating The Right Job Profile
If you put a vague job description up on a job site because you are not quite clear on what you need or what you should be looking for, then you are going to get a lot of applications from people who are not the right fit. That is not their fault, that is on you. You need to do the research to understand what skills and experience you need for the role you are advertising for. Say you are in the hospitality and leisure industry. You should research job skills in hospitality and leisure, experience required for those roles, and hospitality and leisure responsibilities that are unique to that industry. Hiring People has detailed job descriptions for all sorts of roles, and their templates are part of a customisable package to get your job posting out there.
Not Looking For A Diverse Mix Of Candidates
It is worth keeping in mind that the business landscape has changed a huge amount over the last few years. The technology and tools that we use every day has come on in leaps and bounds, climate adaptation is becoming something that every business owner needs to consider, and new innovations are emerging every day. It is also important to remember that if you keep looking to the same pool of talent to recruit from, then you are going to keep getting the same approaches and ideas, many of which are in dire need of updating. With that in mind, think about how you can broaden your talent search to include people who may be from a less traditional background for your business. Look for people who can innovate and adapt, instead of people who will want to keep doing the same old thing. No company can afford to get stuck in the mud right now.
