Not hiring the right people for your company could cost your business a huge amount of money. That is why it’s imperative that the hiring process is honed to avoid having costly mistakes in hiring. It’s inevitable to have bad hires but risks must be minimized whenever possible. Here are the most common mistakes in hiring and how to avoid them.

Focusing on Experience Than Skill Set

Many recruiters often look at education and experience of a candidate rather than their skills, which are needed to get the job done well. You may assess a candidate’s skill set by formulating good interview questions that will emphasize their soft and hard skills. There are also some assessment tests that you can ask the candidate to answer but you have to know how to interpret the results. Otherwise, it will be all for naught.

Being Old School

Some recruiters might be old school in their hiring process. This may have worked before but using technology can be more efficient and helpful. Technology can speed up the hiring process and automate some processes so you could focus on getting the best match for the job. For instance, you can get an applicant tracking system (ATS) to organize information of candidates. You can perform background checks, store assessments, and other information with this kind of system. Technology is a huge part of the hiring process in this day and age.

Bad Job Posting

In writing a job posting, you have to make sure that you know about the role you are hiring for. Do some research on the tasks that should be performed in a certain position.  You need to identify the responsibilities related to the job instead of the kind of person that you’re looking for. Having an accurate job description will make candidates interested to apply for the job. You may seek the help of the human resources team to create a compelling job posting that can give you the right fit.

Skip Screening Candidates

Some recruiters do a resume screening without actually speaking with the candidates. While candidates are good or not good on paper, it is vital to conduct a screening in order to identify whether the candidate is a good fit or not. For example, they may be an employment gap in a candidate’s work experience and you automatically disqualify his as a potential candidate. By talking to the candidate, you will find out why there is such gap in his work history. Perhaps he had some personal struggles during that time and he could still be a good fit with his skill set. A brief phone conversation with a candidate can help you assess his communication skills, work experience, education, salary expectations, and so much more. This is a good way to make your hiring process efficient.

Not Being Transparent

Before starting a hiring process with a candidate, tell them the exact skills that you are looking for in the right candidate. You don’t lay out all the details that a particular job entails, you can make a bad hire. Do not lead on the candidates with false expectations and job descriptions just for the sake of making a hire. Candidates are often turned off if recruiters are not transparent with them.

Ignoring Company Culture

It is important to communicate the company culture to the candidates in order for them to feel if they are a right fit for the company. You need to look for candidates who are aligned with the company’s core values and mission. Candidates must add value to your company culture to make you grow as an organization.

Not Asking for Help

Another common mistake that recruiters make is not asking for help if they need it. There is nothing wrong with asking for assistance if you feel that you are not keeping the hiring up to speed and you couldn’t catch up. Some external help would be a good

Way to make your hiring process more effective.

Finding the right fit for your company is a tall order. It requires considerable amount of time, effort, and expertise. You could start by avoiding common mistakes that could potentially harm your recruitment process.