4 Common Mistakes Affecting Candidate Recruitment and Screening

There's no single guide that can guarantee 100% successful recruitment. However, you can find the best candidates by avoiding these common mistakes in the recruitment and screening process.

After much effort in sourcing, attracting, and considering each application, the worst thing you can do is hire the wrong person and have to start all over again. This happens to most of us. Above all, the recruitment and screening process isn't an exact science. What you can do is minimize the risks as much as possible.

THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES IN RECRUITMENT AND CANDIDATE SCREENING
1. USING A SKIMMED JOB DESCRIPTION
Just type into the Google search bar, and you'll find countless job description templates for almost any position you can think of. Some recruiters simply copy these templates to create a job posting. This is easy, but not an effective approach.

If you want to go the distance, be thorough from the start. A good job description isn't just a long list of prerequisites. It should include a brief introduction to your company and culture, followed by overall tasks, expected outcomes, and opportunities for growth. Furthermore, don't try to "sugarcoat" or exaggerate the potential of the position you're hiring for. Doing so might shorten your recruitment process, but new employees will soon become discouraged and leave.

Once you've prepared the job description, it's time to promote it widely!

2. CHOOSING THE WRONG CHANNELS
Two situations you might encounter: you keep posting on the same channels you usually use, or you post everywhere in desperation. In the first case, you're attracting the same target audience over and over again. In the other, you might be wasting time on unsuitable platforms.

So, how can you increase recruitment most effectively?

Here are some things you can do:

- Review your previous hires and identify the most effective recruitment channels to focus on later.

- If you haven't already, establish an internal employee referral policy.

- Leverage your online presence to find candidates who are already interested in your business.

- Think about where your potential clients are likely to find jobs. For example, if you're looking for positions that don't require experience, connect with universities and prominent student organizations to reach outstanding recent graduates.

- Reach out to passive candidates – those who are qualified but not actively seeking a new role. It's difficult to source and recruit this group because they are already satisfied with their jobs, so consider using a recruitment service.

3. RECRUITMENT BASED ON EMOTION
We all understand the need to avoid discrimination in the recruitment and screening process, but it's not easy to avoid unconscious bias. You might inadvertently act on impulse—more on emotion than reason—when you find someone with the same status, age, gender, or religion.

The truth is, one-third of these new employees leave within the first six months due to poor performance or inappropriate attitudes. Therefore, there's no guarantee that emotionally-driven recruitment decisions will succeed. More importantly, emotionally driven recruitment also has a significant impact on diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Meanwhile, every business needs diverse perspectives to innovate and reach new heights.

Do you want to avoid this situation? Develop specific guidance and evaluation forms to gather more reliable data on each candidate. Stick closely to the job description to see if they meet the qualifications. Structure the interview with behavioral questions to assess their cultural fit. Use candidate assessment tools to test their abilities. And conduct reference checks to verify their actual capabilities.

4. WAITING FOR THE PERFECT CANDIDATE
Are you looking for a candidate who meets all the qualification requirements, is a perfect fit for the work culture, and can handle the job immediately without further training?

Are you looking for “purple squirrels”? This term refers to perfect candidates, and like purple squirrels, they are extremely rare – if they even exist in real life.

Searching for these "flawless" candidates is an endless quest. In pursuing this, you're leaving your team facing prolonged staff shortages. Gradually, the overwhelming workload and stressful overtime hours will negatively impact their productivity and morale.

Instead, you should look for people who possess a wide range of soft skills and professional expertise, and who fit your workplace culture. With extensive experience, they can quickly acquire the specific skills required for each job and integrate into the department.

5. CONCLUSION
Even seasoned HR professionals recognize that the recruitment and screening process is a real challenge. Doing it right will increase employee productivity and efficiency, and of course, your profits. Conversely, you will pay the price with potential candidates, employee motivation, reputation, your time, and other unexpected costs. Therefore, it's never a waste of time to review your current processes and correct any mistakes.

However, most internal HR staff are currently juggling too many tasks simultaneously, and it's not easy for them to find the time to optimize these processes. Source: Adecco