When companies have trouble with their hiring process, it is usually in one of the following areas. Here are some common problems firms encounter when looking for new employees and what companies can do to improve the situation.
4 Hiring Pain Points You Don’t Need To Face Alone
1. Hiring managers are poor interviewers.
Interviewing is among many different tasks hiring managers need to handle. Often, they are not properly prepared. Hiring managers often spend more time talking than listening and ask questions that are not very effective in eliciting the information they need.
To address this problem, hiring managers, first of all, need to be clear exactly what skills and knowledge are needed to be successful in the job. This may involve some research and talking with coworkers for input. Then, the interviewer should draw up a list of questions in advance designed to determine if the candidate has the necessary skills and character to do the job.
2. Poor candidate experience
Some companies don’t do a very good job of working with job applicants. The firms don’t take the time or effort to communicate with candidates about the hiring process – how the process works, how long it will take, when things will happen.
To improve the candidate experience, companies need to give adequate feedback about the process to job candidates. Firms need to answer any questions or concerns candidates may have and keep them apprised of where they are in the process and what to expect. Companies need to think of job candidates as clients.
3. Not enough qualified people
You advertise a position and get a meager response.
This is a problem that needs to be handled on a number of fronts. First is the advertisement itself. Does it really sell the job? Is it accurate and interesting? The second front is recruiting. Is the company recruiting effectively, using social media such as LinkedIn and industry specific websites? Is the company relying on employees, vendors, and clients for referrals? Is the company building up a database of people who have applied in the past who might have skills that are needed? Is the company using recruiting agencies to find passive job candidates? Has the company polished its image, its brand, so that it stands out among the competition?
4. Losing top candidates
You may get some interest from qualified people but end up losing them to other companies. Again, there may be several reasons for this. One may be a problem already mentioned – a bad candidate experience. Another problem could be that the hiring process is taking too long. Top candidates generally have options and may get an offer from another company while you are still deciding. Another issue could be a salary and benefits package that is not competitive.
How to improve a candidate experience has already been explained. To streamline the hiring process, you need planning and organization. Before you start, you need to know exactly what skills you are looking for. You need to coordinate interviewing with all stakeholders, so everyone is available when needed, and everyone agrees on what they are looking for.
Then, you need to create a schedule and stick to it.
At Opti, we look beyond the resume and the job description, because making a good hire is about more than just a matching skill set. It’s about personality and culture fit, business perspectives, work ethic, management style, long-term company and career goals and more. We see the big picture. So if your organization is looking for good people, contact Opti today.
