Vervoe logo

3 min read

Bloopers to Avoid in Your Hiring Process

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:

  1. Communicate your mission and your values. Sell your story.
  2. Focus on the activities you’d like people to do in the role. More on that here.
  3. Don’t write things that will alienate people like “rockstar” or “gun”.
  4. Stop adding arbitrary requirements like “minimum 10 years experience in data science”.
  5. 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:

  1. Post to social networks and ask your team to promote your posts. Consider putting $10-20 behind your posts to boost them.
  2. Use your network. Ask colleagues and friends to share the job. Everyone wants to help their friends find their next great job opportunity.
  3. Post in online communities.
  4. 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.

Picture of Omer Molad

Omer Molad

Omer Molad is a visionary entrepreneur leading the charge in revolutionizing the hiring landscape as the Co-founder and CEO of Vervoe. With a diverse career spanning roles in corporate finance at the National Australia Bank and service in the Israel Defense Forces, Omer brings a wealth of leadership experience to his role. Driven by a passion for innovation and a commitment to excellence, Omer co-founded Vervoe to address a common pain point in hiring processes - the mismatch between candidates' skills and their real-world performance. Through Vervoe's AI-powered skill testing platform, Omer has helped countless companies streamline their hiring processes and identify top talent efficiently. Outside of his role at Vervoe, Omer actively mentors entrepreneurs and contributes to the entrepreneurial community through organizations like Startup Grind and Inspiring Rare Birds. With his strategic vision and dedication to merit-based hiring, Omer is reshaping the future of recruitment.

Recent articles

Featured articles

Similar articles you may be interested in​

Internships bridge the gap between academic learning and real-life work experience, allowing companies to nurture future talent. While interns bring

June 4, 2025

Microsoft Excel has been a key tool in businesses for nearly 40 years, and the demand for candidates with strong

May 15, 2025

The right C++ interview questions go beyond testing surface-level technical knowledge of candidates. Beyond knowing syntax, a strong hire needs

May 15, 2025

Popular assessments

The skills tested in this skills assessment for an Administrative Clerk determine whether the candidate can communicate well, both written and verbally, and if they have the ability to engage with multiple personality types. We test to see if the candidate is capable of using their initiative and think pragmatically in an ever changing role

The skills tested in this Assessment for an Administration Officer determine whether the candidate can communicate and articulate themselves verbally and face to face, we tested whether the candidate can organise their day effectively in order to insure the completion of many different tasks, and f they have the knowledge to assist with Technology set up and issues if they arise.

The skills tested in this assessment for a Virtual Assistant is to determine whether the candidate has experience and proficiency in Microsoft and systems to enable them to complete administrative tasks with ease. We tested whether the candidate can communicate well with others from an remote environment and whether they have the discipline and self motivation to work productively in a solo environment.

The skills tested in this assessment for a Secretary include determining how the candidate can cope with dealing with uncomfortable situations while remaining professional and calm. this assessment tested to gauge the level of communication the candidate has and their attention to detail.

The skills tested in this assessment for an Executive Assistant include determining whether the candidate can be discrete with tasks and people holding a level of professionalism. We tested to determine if the candidate has both written and verbal communication skills and if they are able to handle a busy workload with the ability to multitask exceptionally.

A Data Analyst should be proficient in maths but, most importantly, demonstrate a strong business sense. Through this combination, they can drive change to the business based on pieces of information they derive from data. Specifically, in the Vervoe skill assessment, the following skills are looked at in detail, critical thinking, use of data models in different situations, and data classification for the different problem sets.

The skills that are tested in this assessment for a Copywriter include how skilled the candidate is in SEO, copywriting, creative thinking, and research. It tests their ability to plan, design, and create advertising campaigns, the process they would follow before writing content for SEO, their process for creating a landing page, the research, and resources they would utilize when working with a new client, as well as the research they would conduct once being assigned to a project they had little knowledge about.