It seems like hiring during a recession should be a cinch, what with so many qualified professionals seeking work. But the truth is that rampant layoffs have not made the job of a hiring agent any easier; in fact, the saturated job market has only exacerbated the problems inherent to the process. With stacks of applicants piled high and a deadline for hire to contend with, those responsible for filling a position simply can’t spend the time they’d like combing through every resume. They are relegated to doing a cursory scan in order to narrow down the list of candidates, which could mean that a lot of desirable applicants end up in the trash, so to speak. And with so many websites devoted to helping applicants polish a resume, ace an interview, and even zip through personality or placement tests with nary a red flag, you might not know what you’re getting until your hire actually shows up for work. However, you can hedge your bets somewhat. Here are a few mistakes you’ll definitely want to avoid in the hiring process.
- Failing to run background checks. This is really hiring 101, but when overloaded hiring agents have to sift through hundreds of applications they simply may not have the time. The trick is to narrow down your candidates significantly before you start the interview process. For example, base your top 5-10 picks on resume alone. From there, conduct short phone interviews to narrow down your options to say, 3-5 candidates. Then you can set up in-person interviews and run thorough background checks on a much smaller pool of applicants. If they don’t pan out, you still have a few left over to fall back on. Just don’t forget to look for Facebook or other social networking profiles in addition to calling professional and personal references. You might be surprised by what these platforms can tell you about a candidate that isn’t apparent from a resume or references.
- Ignoring visual clues. When you meet a person for the first time, body language can speak volumes before you say a word. For example, a person who leans in and offers a firm handshake, smiles, and meets your eyes is likely outgoing and confident. A person who shies away, fidgets, and avoids eye contact during an interview may be nervous, timid, or self-conscious. If the job you’re offering involves interactions with clients and coworkers, the former is clearly a better hire.
- Asking rote questions. Most people practice for interviews by going over answers to common questions. So when you ask about why they left previous positions or what they can add to your company, you’ll likely received canned answers designed to help them appear hire-worthy. But this doesn’t necessarily help you unless you want a paid parrot. So mix it up with questions that will be more telling, like asking how the candidate might behave in certain office scenarios or having them relate the best or worst day they ever had in a work environment, just for example.
- Conducting only one interview. Before someone is hired, at least two interviews should be conducted; one with the hiring agent and one with the person who will supervise the employee after hire. And that’s a bare minimum. Just remember to coordinate so that you don’t end up asking the exact same questions. The object is to learn as much as you can about the applicant and then compare notes.
- Going with your gut. This is a mistake that many hiring agents make. Yes, your instincts can sometimes tell you whether you’re talking to someone nice or a sociopath, but not always. Instead, put together checklists to cover topics like resume format and references, education, experience, knowledge and skills required for the position, trainability, social interaction, and so on. After multiple interviews these checklists can really help you compare candidates on an apples-to-apples basis. It may come down to a gut feeling, but that’s not where you should start.