Hiring the right employee can be tricky. The application/resume and the interview process are your primary tools. Despite these methods, you have probably made more than a few bad hires. Maybe the employee who had a stellar resume couldn’t perform under pressure. Or perhaps that charming candidate with the great interview had poor job skills. You can avoid these problems by identifying common hiring mistakes and correcting them. Some of the most common errors are:
Not Preparing for the Interview
As an employer, you may have done dozens of interviews. As a result, you might look over a candidate’s resume and then “wing” the interview, relying on standard questions such as “What are your strengths as an employee?”. Job seekers expect these standard questions and often have pat answers ready.
Instead of sticking with this ineffective formula, really study the applicant’s resume. Ask them about any discrepancies you notice. Also, dig into their past job experience and have them tell you about their daily duties. Use questions specifically tailored for individual interviewees. In that way, you can gather useful information and not receive stock answers to expected questions.
Failing to Conduct Proper Background Checks
Many corporations require background checks on all prospective employees, but SMBs may skip this part of the hiring process. It’s easy to think, “This is Bob from the front office’s brother: he must be okay” and decide not to dig. Of course, this omission is a big mistake. You need to know if your hires have a criminal background and what their crimes were. Obviously, hiring someone with a fraud conviction for your accounting department would be a huge mistake. So even if it feels uncomfortable, complete your due diligence.
Hiring the Most Charming Candidate
Employers are human – they want to work with likable, entertaining people. Sadly, these people may not be the most qualified. Since you form your impression of candidates in the first ten seconds of meeting them, appearances and charm can sway you instead of competence.
To combat this bias, keep a list of needed job skills in front of you during the interview and continually return to it. It will keep you focused on the qualifications that you need in an employee.
Holding an All-Talk Interview
When it comes to interviews, talk is cheap. Have candidates perform some of the job’s duties. If you are hiring a content editor, have them edit a piece from your latest publication. If you are looking for an IT person, have them show their skills online. Need a large truck mechanic? Put some tools into their hands and watch them work. Some of your less charming candidates may be the most skilled. Let them show you what they can do.
Not Recognizing Your Bias
Even the most well-meaning people have unconscious biases. As an employer, you need to examine your expectations for employees and see if you are prone to hiring one gender, one race, or one socio-economic type. You may look for people who “fit in” on the surface and ignore others who can do the job but don’t meet your mental picture of an employee.
The best way to rid yourself of these biases is to identify them and then monitor your hiring behavior. Keep an open mind about who can work well in your company culture. A diverse workplace is usually a more productive workplace.
Over Promising/Under Delivering
As an employer, you want the best employees, but so does your competition. In order to lock down a prize candidate, you may promise some perks that you cannot deliver, at least not in the short term. Your intentions may be good, but your new hire will feel betrayed and resentful if they do not receive the job benefits you offered.
To avoid getting carried away during the interview, determine exactly what you can deliver before the interview or offer. Set your limits and do not exceed them. You may have to let some promising candidates go, but that’s better than misleading them. They won’t stay long in your employ if you do.
How America’s Back Office Can Help
When you need help with your hiring practices or any HR needs, America’s Back Office can help. We are a certified professional employer organization (CPEO), which means the IRS has determined that we meet the highest professional requirements. Only 3% of PEOs achieve this designation. Our experienced staff can take care of your HR administration, payroll, onboarding, labor law compliance, and other time-intensive tasks, freeing you to focus on your company’s products and services.
Schedule a free consultation today to reduce your workload and increase your company’s efficiency. Call 1-877-423-7736, fill out our brief online form or email info@americasbackoffice.com for more information. Let us help you conquer your HR challenges.
