Hiring a new employee for your team is a major undertaking. Not only do you have to attract the right person, you also need to get them to apply in the first place. You’ll put several screening measures in place to help you choose the best candidate, but your actions also contribute to this process by helping people decide if your company is a place they want to work.
The industrial engineering recruiters at Premium Staffing, Inc. have witnessed plenty of well-intentioned screening processes gone awry, so find out if any of your techniques are actually causing you to miss out on the best person for the job.
5 Ways Your Screening Process Is Weeding Out Top Candidates
Posting an Old Job Description
Writing a new job description takes a lot of time and energy, but it’s well worth the effort. Most jobs evolve with time, so chances are, the responsibilities associated with the position are outdated. Posting this description is deceptive and can cause you to miss out on candidates who would apply to the position if it was accurately depicted.
Focusing Solely on the Resume
Sometimes the right person for the position isn’t the best candidate on paper. Screening resumes for qualifications should be used only as a baseline, to make sure the person is equipped to do the job. Skills can be learned, but cultural fit cannot, so focusing exclusively on qualifications could cause you to accidentally bypass an amazing hire.
Scanning Resumes for Keywords
When you post a job at your company, you’re probably inundated with resumes. This might cause you to use keyword scanning software that helps narrow down your candidate list. The only problem is, the right candidate might use the wrong keywords, which will cause them to be tossed to the side without a second glance. Having a human review each resume will take longer, but it’s worth the effort to not inadvertently eliminate an incredible applicant.
Asking the Wrong Questions During the Interview
A resume and cover letter give you a preview of the candidate, but a job interview is your chance to really get to know them. If you don’t ask behavioral interview questions, you’re not able to accurately gauge their fit for both the job and the company. This might cause you to think you’ve found the right candidate, only to quickly discover you really made the wrong call.
Keeping Them Waiting Far Too Long
Top talent is in high demand, so if you keep them waiting too long, they’ll move on to another company — especially if they’re unemployed or very eager to leave their current job. The average hiring process in the U.S. extends 23.8 days, according to a 2017 Glassdoor study, so if yours goes much past this, your chance of hiring your first choice will decrease.
Having trouble finding top engineering and manufacturing talent in Chicago? Allow Premium Staffing, Inc. to assist. You’ll pay nothing until you hire a candidate we recommend, because we’re that confident you’ll be pleased with the outcome!