Did you know that it costs 1.5 to 2 times the annual salary of an employee to find their replacement? Not only does it take up the time and effort of your HR team, but it’s also hard for teams and colleagues to adjust after one of their team members leaves for greener pastures.
That’s why it’s crucial to find someone who fits into your company well, so they can stick around for a long time to come. How do you do this? By avoiding some common employee selection mistakes laid out below.
1. Talking Too Much
Do you know the 80/20 rule by Pareto? It says something like 80% of your efforts will come from 20% of your clients or efforts. And it can be applied to hiring as well, especially when it comes to interviewing.
Make sure that you don’t end up hogging the conversation and talking too much. You should keep the ratio to around 20% talking and 80% listening.
Ask the candidate many questions and allow them to speak while you listen in for any factual errors, hesitations, or anything that will tell you that the candidate is lying or holding back about something crucial.
If you speak too much, you are not giving the candidate a chance to sell themselves and neither are you getting insights about them which should allow you to make an easy decision of whether to hire them or not.
2. Relying Upon Your Gut Too Much
Too many recruiters and interviewers believe that their gut will guide them right in the hiring process. And that’s a grave error on their part.
Use your instinct or intuition when you are in a situation without much data and when a quick decision is necessary. But when hiring someone for an important role, stay away from your intuition and rely upon cold hard facts present in front of you. This will allow you to make a better decision overall.
3. Selling Yourself Too Much
You are probably under immense time or market pressure which might be pushing you to make a decision fast. You might think that you need to sell your organization and the role to the candidate, so they can oblige you by saying yes to the role.
But that’s the wrong way to go about the employee selection process. Even if you don’t have many options for job candidates, that doesn’t mean that you need to start feeling like you need to bow down to the candidate in any way.
Wait for the candidate to sell themselves to you. That’s the only way you will end up hiring the best person for the job, rather than choosing someone out of desperation or fear.
4. Hiring Folks That Are Friends or Acquaintances
No matter how much you know this friend or acquaintance of yours, stay away from recruiting them for roles in your organization. Not only does this create an unpleasant conflict of interest, but it’s also hard to fire them later because you have a sort of obligation to them as they are your friends or in your inner circle.
Also, you don’t want this decision coming to bite you in the behind later because you get accused of nepotism or favoring your friends when hiring. It could even result in you losing your job.
5. Not Checking Up on What the Candidate Says
There might be many claims that the candidate makes either in the interview or in their resume. Don’t take them at their word.
Check up on each of these claims, by calling the organizations or businesses in question. Also, ascertain that they did in fact receive a degree or diploma from the university or institution they claim.
Even if you lack time, this is an essential step to take, as it will ensure you aren’t hiring someone who’s a liar or a fraud and who obviously can’t handle the role you wish to hire them for.
If you really are short on time, then consider outsourcing your hiring. Find logistics recruiters here.
6. Being Unclear About What Kind of Candidate You Need
Before you start posting your job on websites, you need to clarify what qualifications the candidate needs to be a useful member of the team or group they will join.
What kind of skills do they need? What personality traits should they have? And so on.
7. Not Asking for Examples or Clarifications
Whenever a candidate tells you something, make sure not to give vague responses in return. Ask them if they can give specific examples of the situations where the candidate displayed those skills or whatever they are claiming to have done.
Don’t go the lazy route, because that’s a surefire way to hire someone who’s not a good fit for the job. Behavioral questioning like this will ensure you always help you find the best person out of all the available options for job candidates.
8. Don’t Use Common Interview Questions
This also means that you can’t just use the common interview questions that everyone else uses and be satisfied with that. A bit of creativity and preparation on your part will ensure you find the best candidate for the role and don’t have to scramble to replace them a few months down the road.
Common Employee Selection Mistakes Begone
If you can avoid the employee selection mistakes outlined above, you should be well on your way to finding a great person for the role you are trying to fill. Don’t forget to check out related articles on our website, so you can keep learning and grow as a business professional.
