We’ve analysed thousands of employers and their job descriptions, job promotion strategy, hiring funnels, assessments and communication with candidates. We’ve seen a LOT.
We are always sharing best practices, new ideas and tips with our customers. But we also want to help you avoid the pitfalls. So we created a highlight reel of the bloopers you should avoid. Here are the mistakes you don’t want to make if you want to build a great hiring process.
#1 – Not Investing in the Job Description
You can’t hire someone great if you don’t attract high-quality people to your company and, specifically, the role. Candidates have options.
There is a direct correlation between how much people want to join your company and how much they’re willing to go through to get the job. Candidates use the job description to decide whether they want to apply for the job. If you don’t invest in them, they most likely won’t invest in you. The good ones most definitely won’t.
So to give yourself the best chance, here are some suggestions:
- Communicate your mission and your values. Sell your story.
- Focus on the activities you’d like people to do in the role. More on that here.
- Don’t write things that will alienate people like “rockstar” or “gun”.
- Stop adding arbitrary requirements like “minimum 10 years experience in data science”.
- Record a video so people can get to know you, your team and even your office.
#2 – Asking for Too Much Upfront
If you put a big hurdle at the start of your process, many people won’t bother. Maybe that’s what you want, but in our experience it’s usually done inadvertently. The result? Candidates give up.
Start with a small tasks. 20-30 minutes max. Once candidates get positive feedback they’ve progressed to the next stage, they’ll be more likely to invest more of their time in further assessment.
#3 – Not Promoting Your Job
Even the top brands in the world invest heavily in recruitment marketing. They work hard to promote their company and job openings. So should you.
Writing a good job description is only part of it. Now you need to get it in front of people. So many employers think candidates will just magically appear through free job boards. There are most definitely alternatives to paying for job advertising, but you need to by industrious.
Here are some of the things you should seriously consider:
- Post to social networks and ask your team to promote your posts. Consider putting $10-20 behind your posts to boost them.
- Use your network. Ask colleagues and friends to share the job. Everyone wants to help their friends find their next great job opportunity.
- Post in online communities.
- Invite candidates directly. Check who expressed interest in your company before and invite them.
#4 – Death by Video
One or two video questions is plenty. You’re not making a movie. Would you want to record 12 videos in a row?
Giving candidates a chance to tell a story or explain their work, and seeing how they communicate, is fantastic. But for the sake of variety, and to increase conversion, best not to overdo it.
#5 – Whacky Assessments
Even Google has given up on asking goofy interview questions. Don’t make it impossible for people. The assessment should realistically reflect the tasks candidates will be asked to do on the job. Unless you’re actually hiring a rocket scientist, don’t ask rocket science questions.
#6 – Taking Too Long
It’s ok to have multiples stages in your process. But please keep a few things in mind. First, good people won’t be around for long, so you best be quick. Second, Candidates will invest as much as you invest in them, so if you’re asking a lot you should communicate with them effectively. Set the expectations at the outset, communicate throughout the process and wrap things up at the end. Get back to people quickly.
#7 – Not Telling People They Didn’t get the Job
This is my pet hate. If you’re not going to hire someone, please just let them know asap. It’s not that hard. People just want to move on and focus on the next opportunity.
