Top 10 mistakes made when recruiting

Breathe HR have just written a great piece on the top 10 most common errors SMEs make when they recruit….however, I think they could very easily be applicable for all workplaces, large and small, public, private and third sector.

So, how can we get it wrong?

Think about your own worst experiences of going through a recruitment process as a candidate:

• never having your application even acknowledged
• not hearing back after spending time and effort on an interview
• the advert / job description saying one thing and a different message at interview
• the interview itself being completely unstructured
• waiting for what seems like an age after interview for a decision to be made
• not being asked for your right to work documents until after you have started (or at all)
• turning up on day one with no desk, PC or induction plan

What impact does this have?

It understandably doesn’t give a great first impression to someone looking to apply to join your workplace and may put them off ever applying again.  They may also talk to their friends about their poor experience.

If they make the interview and the poor experience continues, even if they are offered the role eventually, they may not decide to join you.

If they do stick with you through the process, are offered a role and turn up on day one, it will help both them, you and your team to have an induction plan – not only will your new starter feel welcomed but your team will also feel part of helping them settle in and giving them the information they need and introducing them to the people they need to work with, so they can make a great start.