4 PAINFUL RECRUITING
MISTAKES
Have you ever laughed at a television commercial that was
out-of-date and wondered what the writers were thinking when they created it?
Has the way you felt about a person changed because they made an assumption
about you that rubbed you the wrong way? Do you unsubscribe from email
newsletters when they stop delivering the value that you expected from them at
the initial sign up?
These kind of reactions happen every day in recruitment.
When hiring someone new, you probably have a good idea as to the
type of person that you think would be a good fit for the role. You may even
have that information written down such as the ideal skills, professional
background, and years of experience that an ideal candidate would possess.
Before you can learn that information about a candidate,
however, you must first know your audience, catch their attention, and then
pique their interest in learning more about your company and the role.
Recruiters who fall short in the marketing aspects of
recruitment find themselves left behind with growing frustration as 2 weeks
snowballs into 4, advertising costs increase without qualified applicants to
substantiate the value, and other recruiting problems amplify with no end in
sight.
Today, we look at 4 painfully common recruitment marketing
mistakes that Hiring Managers make and offer our tips for achieving more
effective recruiting by avoiding them in the first place.
1.
Assuming that all candidates want the same thing in a new role
Although industry surveys and research are great starting
points, their relevance is limited when it comes to recruiting someone to your
business because they don’t reflect the unique context of the position that you
are recruiting for.
A key mistake is failing to identify the key selling
points of the specific position and business. If you rely on broad
data and general insights, then how can you expect to attract candidates that
are going to be a match with your organization’s unique culture, needs, and
vision for future growth?
The top performers on your current team are prime examples of your successful
recruiting strategies and practices. If they seemed to connect with you
initially by happenstance or were a referral, gaining insight from them will
still be valuable because they can open your eyes to career motivations,
interests, and talent communities that you may have not considered before.
Ask them if the job is as they had expected when they were hired
and if there are any disconnects between what was discussed and the reality of
working there. This will help you more effectively target your message to
attract the best fits as well as reduce your turnover by attracting individuals
who are looking for what your company offers rather than an idea that they
would soon find out doesn't match up with the reality.
You may find that the things you thought they were responding
positively to are completely different from the elements that the things that
actually pulled them in and got them excited about the role.
2.
Posting job descriptions as job ads
If you were to search any given job board or job posting website
for the position that you are recruiting for, you are likely to see lists and
bullets of detailed information that focus on the company and the company's
needs.
This format is common, but not because it’s effective.
It’s easy to come up with a template and then fill in the
sections with the information that you know. It may even feel comforting to see
that your posting is accurate, even if it isn’t very compelling or relevant to
the candidate’s interests or motivations.
You know what you want them to be able to do in the position,
the experience that you would like them to have, and the qualities that would
fit best with your team, but there’s a problem. The candidates that you want
don’t care about these things unless you give them a reason to.
TELL YOUR STORY! A Grower
is a Grower (in a lot of circumstances;)
tell the candidate WHY being a Grower at your company trumps your competition!
3. Not
tracking quality of source data
One of the most costly marketing mistakes that HR or Hiring
Managers/Recruiters make is failing to do truly track data when advertising
their jobs
For example, if you purchase a job posting for $300.00 and it
yields 60 applications, then your cost per application is then $5.00 for that
source. This is where a lot of folks stop.
If you continue applying that type of analysis to each step of
the hiring process—how many of those applicants are selected to interview, how
many offers are extended, how many ultimate hires are made from that
source—then you will have recruitment data that, over time, can help you
predict how effective that source will be when advertising for different jobs.
You may find that posting to one niche job board that returns only 4 applicants
ends up resulting in more interviews than another that returns 30. This is especially true in the Horticulture
world; applicants tend to look at niche boards because of comfort level. And
time….searching through 1000’s of jobs that have turned up in a “nursery”
search only to weed through “babysitting” jobs easily frustrates anyone!
Get direct! Ask WHAT site
the candidate heard of the job from – not just the internet. You’ll know better where to spend your money
next time.
4. Only
looking at the "good" data
In addition to how many applicants each source produces and
tracking the candidates as they move throughout the hiring process, also pay
attention to any patterns that you may see in the applicants who either drop out of the process or who upon screening turned out not
to be a viable candidate for the position. Some of the qualities that employers
initially think make up a great hire for that position end up being the links
amongst candidates who are later determined not to be a good fit.
This is true for other requirements as well, such as looking for
candidates with a certain level of experience only to find that their salary
level is higher than your budget allows. Catching these trends early can save
you time and money throughout the hiring process.
Candidate drop off rates are also important to track. Use your
job board for research, feedback and analytics!