Entrepreneurs make different hiring errors which we will discuss in this article. The process of hiring is a tasking one, it goes beyond getting the right persons for a particular position. It extends to seeing that the hired is always on track, and does what is expected.
Sometimes, even though some employees are the right choices, they fall short of the expectation. This and some other reasons make hiring an important activity undertaken with care. Hiring the wrong hands will cause a disease that will affect the entire organisation. It does not only limit productivity, but it also causes major setbacks.
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Time spent on hiring is time well spent, as noted by Robert Half, the founder of Robert Half International. No amount of time spent on hiring is too much. It is like searching for a wife. You don’t just marry anyone for just the fun of it. Your life and success depend on the relationship you keep with her; how much more a growing an organisation. A single mistake in hiring has the potential of turning everything upside down.
No process or system can be 100 percent efficient, but there is always a way to work toward perfection. Hiring errors are not a product of a single factor; they are of accumulated ones, although many can be avoided. This makes it very important to have an effective and professional team to carry out the task. Whether you are doing a massive recruitment or just getting a replacement for a few vacant positions, you should beware of these hiring errors.
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Indecisiveness
An entrepreneur that doesn’t know what he wants should re-evaluate again. Actions that are products of indecisiveness are bound to be faulty. How does it sound telling the bartender to get you a bottle of red wine, then call him back several times to change orders? It makes you sound like a confused person. So is the case here.
You don’t just hire. You fill a vacancy for reasons that are obvious. The role of the employee joining the organisation must be defined. He cannot be left dangling and swinging like a pendulum. Many recruiters hire for the wrong reasons. Some hire for a job with a wrong or contradicting description. This would make the recruit function in a confused manner with no clear-cut direction and productivity.
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Relying On First Impressions
Basing your judgment on first impressions is one of the hiring errors to avoid. Recruits and their dispositions change subsequently from the first couple of weeks after joining your organisation. Some want to impress and make a show of going the extra mile, then fall off the standard later. While some appear like they will have to learn for a few days, or weeks before becoming a great tool for the organisation.
Many employers judge candidates on likability as opposed to matching their strengths with the responsibilities of the position, opined Ted Karkus, the CEO of ProPhase Labs. Also, Jason Berkowitz noted that it is easy to assume that a firm handshake or good eye contact means competence. The business development executive of IBM Smarter Workforce said that interviews are not the single tool to validate a good or bad snap judgment of a recruit.
Your judgment should be based on prospects and tendencies. As a recruiter, you should have the analytical skills to understand the attitude and look beyond first-time likability or displeasure. Try to find probable reasons that make the person qualified instead.
Faulty And Unstable Hiring Standards
This one of the many hiring errors because many entrepreneurs run their businesses like a family meeting with no particular structure or standards. What happens to be the culture today is a mess tomorrow. This has cost many growing businesses more than they can pay. It is a system that allows anything in, as long as it sounds nice.
If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for everything. Your standards don’t only obey you, they guide whoever is there during your absence. Standards that are enforced define the organisation’s culture and individuals’ participation. It is what builds the impression of the hired right from when they step into the company.
It’s not just relevant within the organisation, it also shapes the outside world’s perspective of your brand. Hiring right decides who your brand attracts for business and other things.
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Shallow Search
Another big mistake a recruiter can make is not opening up enough space for many choices. It is not too bright a decision to limit your opportunities. “Think of diversity of age, experience, background, race, and gender, all of which help bring diversity of thought, this can make organizations more successful and keep organizations growing and progressing,” said Paul Wolfe.
A diverse culture makes it easier to keep getting different kinds of people into the organisation’s workforce. More people from different backgrounds, ages, and experiences who would normally not apply for your company’s positions would consider working for you. Consider people who would challenge you and make you see clearer and in different perspectives. Replicates of yourself aren’t healthy for your business. A merge of your perspective and others’ is an enhancer to your business growth if handled properly.
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Unethical Interviews
Interviews are the first physical contact you would make with your potential recruits. If you have a team of unprofessional interviewers, bad impressions would be made. It is not too expensive to make this stage as professional as possible.
Many times, interviewers get carried away with trivialities like body language and gestures. These things make them lose touch of what they are really intended to find out – competence. An error in this stage is very common, and it makes recruiters hire wrongly.
Inadequate Training For New Recruits
This one of the major hiring errors that business owners make. The first few months are meant to get your new recruits acquainted with your organisation. It is at this time that they need to know the dos and the don’ts in the company. They understand their job specifications but still need to be intimated on specific things you desire from them.
Recruits that are not trained with the culture of the organisation will definitely act out of order one day. No amount of training is too much if you truly value what they will do for you.
Proper training prevents poor performance; it’s guidance for the recruits in the new environment. You are not training them on what they were employed for, but how to apply their knowledge in your company.
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Withholding Duties
Why hire when you prefer to do it all alone? “I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day, you bet on people, not on strategies” said Lawrence Bossidy, former COO of GE.
When recruits are not allowed to perform their duties, it makes them lose touch with their purpose. Why do we have to rehearse those keys on the piano over and over again if not to avoid forgetfulness? The more they perform their jobs, the more they hone their skills. Jumping to do your recruits’ duties does not only make them irrelevant but lose skills and knowledge.
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Communication Issues
When hiring, be sure to communicate properly. The picture you have on your mind is different from what the recruits have on their own mind. Aside from their understanding what the job is all about, you must continually express your mind on things you are not pleased with.
Aside from taking your time to train your recruits very well, they must be communicated to often on their performance. It is so important for them to know what they are doing well and areas of improvement. Also, be sure to create a good rapport with recruits. This way, you make yourself approachable.
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Expecting Instant Perfection
Expecting perfection from the first day is one of the hiring errors that entrepreneurs make. Learn to watch your recruits grow with the duties and culture of your company. It speaks so much about the kind of business you do. Excellence is not something gotten in a hurry. It is a product of timely effort.
Hiring Someone That Has No Passion For The Job
Passion makes one more productive. When passion is not there, the qualification and great qualities are nothing. Do not hire a man who does your work for the money, but he who does it for the love of it, said Henry David Thoreau.
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