10 Most Common Mistakes Made When Hiring

To err in hiring is human – and is considered to be very expensive. Many “standard” hiring procedures are actually common mistakes, so to choose more competent candidate, you need to be prepared to revise your hiring methods. Learn the consequences of the hiring errors managers often make, and then eliminate them from your hiring practices to help you choose only the cream of the crop. Most, if not all managers would agree that there are always risks when hiring new employees. These risks exist whether the new hire is a fresh-out-of-school Field sales rep. or a new chief executive officer.

Clearly Identify Company Needs

When seeking to fill a position, your company must clearly define its goals in terms of skills, experience, character, and competency. Determine the actual, objective standards a candidate must meet, and the requisite educational background, exact work experience, and specific technical skills they must possess. In addition, it is important to evaluate the organization's short-and long-term needs and the effect this particular hiring decision will have upon those needs. Many times, however, an organization's requirements can be more efficiently met through outsourcing or strategic partnering. Don't automatically assume you need a certain type of employee. Test those assumptions before you hire.

Test a Prospective Employee's Skills

Skill testing is a must. Every job has some form of measurable, objective performance standard. Identify it and test for it. A secretary who types 60 words per minute with mistakes will be less effective than a secretary who types 90 words per minute without mistakes. However, if a company fails to test for typing skills, it will have no way of evaluating a prospective employee's ability to perform a specific task. Under these circumstances, a supervisor may criticize the first secretary for lack of productivity, when she is in fact giving her best effort. Unless you test an applicant's skills, you are taking a gamble that they can perform. It's a bet you just may lose.

 Rushing a decision
When a fast-growth company decides to hire someone, it tends to create an impetus to hire that someone, today. That can mean that your company is willing to settle on whatever candidate walks in the door next–a big mistake, says Alex Membrillo, co-founder of Atlanta-based Cardinal Web Solutions. Membrillo admits that when his firm, an interactive marketing agency, recently decided to bring in a new sales person, they decided to hire someone who they knew wasn’t a perfect fit just so they could get someone in the door fast. The result? The new hire lasted just three months and cost the company thousands of dollars. “In the future we will wait as long as it takes to get the perfect fit,” says Membrillo.

Hiring friends
 
The guys that are a good time to drink with don’t necessarily make the best employees, says Megan Smith, founder of Brownstone PR, a public relations firm in Philadelphia. While knowing someone before you hire them has advantages, it can also cause problems, such as blurring the lines between business and personal relationships. “Just because your best friend will always have your back if a bar fight were to break out, it doesn’t necessarily mean they have a vested interest in your business and the direction you wish to take it,” says Smith.

Being overly influenced by advanced degrees.


  Candidates with plenty of letters after their names have certainly worked hard to earn their degrees. But there is no substitute for real-world business experience, and people often make the mistake of overlooking candidates with track records but not degrees. Note: this does not apply, however, to specialized fields that require advanced degrees.

Not having a long-range plan. 


 Hiring someone to fill a current need can help you through a busy time. However, unless you're hiring someone on a temporary basis, you need a long-range plan for that employee beyond your immediate need, including how you plan to develop him or her, and how he or she fits in with your company's long-range plans.

Making promises you cannot keep. 


It can be a very costly mistake to make promises that are not well thought out. Know ahead of time what you can and cannot offer a prospective employee.
 

No background check

Managers must take time to check each of your applicants’ background and employment history. No matter how much you think you know the person through reference, you never really know a person until you do a rigid background check. One common mistake managers commit during the hiring process is failing to get to know an employee in enough detail before contract signing.

 
Not contacting all applicants

This is a terrible waste of talent, and a risk to the reputation of your business. Some managers are guilty of packing up early or making quick assumptions too early on. When you miss the opportunity to see all the applicants, you’re missing the chance to make a fair and objective choice. Sadly, it is commonplace for a manager to decide on the ‘right’ candidate right away without properly reviewing all potential applicants.

As a matter of professional courtesy, you should also contact all unsuccessful applicants. You never know where or when you might come across any of these people in future – as a client, candidate, supplier, business partner. Don’t give them any reason to ‘hold a grudge’.

Ignoring the existing employees 

Most companies become too focused on finding out and recruiting new resources and consequently the human resources managers ignore the needs of the existing employees. This creates unnecessary conflicts and competition. Therefore, proper understanding and correct retention strategies should complement with the recruitment procedures.