Longtime Hiring Center columnist Will Helmlinger shares 10 hiring mistakes business owners frequently make, and how to avoid them.
Everyone has pre-dispositions, but if you begin the process with bias for any reason, you may well miss out on a great candidate.
Hiring managers are often under extreme time pressure to fill critical positions in order to complete projects or get the team back on track. It is critical to set a hiring time line, making sure it's realistic to avoid hiring the wrong people.
Be careful not to misconstrue answers to fit your needs. Really listen to what the applicant is saying, not just to what you want to hear.
Don't look for ways to shoot holes in a person's resume. While it is necessary to look at both the strengths and limitations of each candidate, you want to examine ways to hire the person--not eliminate them from consideration.
It's your job to discover whether a candidate has the appropriate and relevant work habits for the open position. You need to understand what drives the person and whether his or her behavioral patterns fit your company.
Avoid focusing the beginning of the interview on a discussion of the job, the company, and the work environment. Given all the right details, interviewees are sure to come up with the "desired" answers to questions yet to come during the interview.
Don't be too hasty when reviewing resumes. A 30-second glance isn't enough to eliminate a candidate. Be fair, and take the time to discover the truth behind a resume.
This often happens when asking yes/no questions. For example, "Can you work overtime?" likely will result in a "Yes," despite the candidate's actual willingness to do so. Second, watch your body language. Simple things such as nodding your head could signal the candidate to respond in a particular manner.
All too often hiring decisions are based on experience and skills, when hiring for the correct cultural fit is just as important. After all, few terminations are the result of wrong skill sets or experience.
Many managers feel their recruiting jobs stop when the new employee starts. Job failure is directly linked to the lack of a well-thought out orientation and new hire training process.
