7 Big Hiring Mistakes

Date Posted: 10/24/2013

In companies large and small for any type of business, we all know that hiring the right people is critical. In fact it is especially important for smaller company with fewer employees. One hiring mistake can create a ripple effect that impacts other employees and your business.

Here are 7 hiring mistakes to avoid.

1. Don’t Rely Only On The Resume

With outside help anyone can create a good resume. A candidate may also be able to tell you brilliant stories, but can he or she relate to the critical role and requirements you need for that job? During interviews you should list specific written questions directly related to the work responsibilities the person will be handling.

2. Look For What You Need Rather Than What You Had

Before you start hiring, it’s a great time to take a long, hard look at your organisational structure to clearly define what type of person and the right skill sets you need to not just fill “the job” but to see if there are ways that this position can be changed or extended to further improve your business. If you can get someone who brings additional skill sets to the job, it’s a real bonus.

3. Don’t Hire Friends & Family

One of your employees recommends a friend or family member and grossly overstates their qualifications. They may be sincere in trying to help but their desire to help out a family member or friend may not align with your need to hire great employees. Besides, more family members and friends in the same department can just wield more power, upsetting the equilibrium of the whole department.

4. Rushing The Hire.

Hiring too fast can result in a mistake. Your first impulse is to get someone quickly so daily operations are not affected.  However moving too fast can result in your hiring a person who lacks the proper skills for the job or who does not fit in with the culture and the way your team operates.

5. Hire For Attitude, Train For Skills.

You can’t train enthusiasm, a solid work ethic, and great interpersonal skills. These traits can matter more than any skills a candidate brings. Skills and knowledge are worthless when not used to improve your business and experience is useless when it is not shared with others.

6. Don’t Rely On Gut Feeling.

You feel you can tell if a candidate is right for the job or not because you have had success before. Selecting an individual because you like him or her after a few minutes conversation has a low percentage success rate. These days, many job- seekers have become practiced at the art of the interview. They know how to come across.

7. Hiring From The Competition.

Hiring the right person from the competition can be a smart move. However, hiring an “average” person just because they come from the competition is not smart. It’s better to get the “right” person from outside the industry as long as this person has the ability to perform the job you are hiring them for. To your credit, this person can prove to be a “superstar” in time.

Let IKON help you interview and hire the right candidate for the job.  We can assist you in every step of your recruitment process.

IKON is a full services recruitment agency that specializes in recruiting personnel for the hospitality, medical, construction, oil & gas and other service industries.  To learn more about our services, please email us at [email protected]