You focus on quantity, not quality
CTRL+C, CTRL+V and done. Copying and sending the same message to 50 different talents is highly inefficient. Not only does this damage your company’s reputation, it also damages your personal reputation as a recruiter . Have you ever heard of the « horn effect »? Once you make a bad first impression, people will automatically attribute other negative qualities to you.
The solution is easy. Instead of casting your net everywhere you can think of, try to narrow down your choices – and only write to the talent that really fits your criteria. You have to be even more careful if it is a highly competitive market (for example, IT specialists).
Such talents have a lot to choose from and only the best offers will win. Study talent information and send them a personalized message that reflects their needs and wants. Your chances of success will increase rapidly.
You describe the advertised position incorrectly
There are a number of sins you can commit when it comes to job description. They most often arise for three reasons: misunderstanding of the target group, laziness, or time pressure. Either way, they deduct points for you and your business.
Mistake number 1 is an inaccurate description of the position . It is possible that you leave out some details, you do not write clearly what you want from the applicant and what tasks await him. Without a clear description, however, it will be difficult to attract qualified applicants.
Mistake number 2 is when you don’t speak the language of the applicants . When you write an ad, you should tailor it to potential applicants. And literally. This means putting yourself in their shoes and creating a text that responds to their needs and wishes.
Thirdly, it can be excessive creativity in the choice of title – for example, « Administrative Ninja » instead of « Administrative Assistant ». According to Indeed, most people are looking for a job that matches their skills and experience. In some cases, suitable candidates do not apply simply because they are looking for the same position under a different title.
Other errors include recycling an old job description (when the position has changed over time), spelling and stylistic errors, or mis-sequencing information (starting with the most important).
You don’t use social networks to recruit
If you haven’t started advertising on social networks yet, you’re making a big mistake. That’s where you’re most likely to find the right talent (even among those who aren’t actively looking for work).Statistics show that up to 94% of recruiters use social media to find and reach suitable candidates And this effort seems to have paid off.According to statistics, up to 73% of people aged 18-34 found their last job on social networks. We are not talking only about LinkedIn, but also about Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Where is the best place to advertise? This depends on the listed position and the target group (age, interests). There is nothing left to do but test and test.
You don’t track your candidates
You can’t carry everything in your head. Maintaining a candidate database and recording all information in one place is absolutely key (the ideal tool is an ATS – Applicant Tracking System). If you don’t track anything or if you track it dishonestly, you are losing the most valuable data.
What all needs to be tracked? From the talent pool (where you found), records of communication with individual candidates, statistics and reports . Thanks to this, you can evaluate the success of individual recruitment strategies and take the necessary steps to make your recruitment as effective as possible.
You do not call unsuccessful candidates after the interview
What else is guaranteed to ruin your reputation? It’s a long pause after the interview. The candidate expects that you will hear from him – whether you have accepted him or not. He may even have multiple offers pending and awaiting your final verdict. If the selection is unexpectedly long (for example, it takes more than 14 days), let the candidates know.
And once you are clear about your favorite, write to them as soon as possible. But be careful, an e-mail like: « We’re sorry, but we selected an applicant for the position who better met our requirements… » will not garner much success.
If time allows, give them personalized feedback so they know exactly what to improve for next time or what they impressed you with (this applies to more advanced rounds of the selection process). You will see that applicants will appreciate it.
You’re neglecting onboarding
Are you underestimating the power and influence of onboarding? This mistake will have big consequences. According to the study New Hire Momentum: Driving the Onboarding Experience, up to 75% of recruiters admit that they do not have a well-defined onboarding process . Bad onboarding can be one of the reasons why an employee leaves right from the start. The cause can be, for example, stress, slow adaptation, ignorance of company processes and a feeling of loneliness.
As a recruiter, it is your job to do everything to make the newcomer’s start as pleasant as possible. This means showing him the workplace, providing him with suitable working conditions (prepare a table and the necessary equipment), introduce him to the team (ideally also assign a mentor) and offer him your support and help.
You don’t do surveys
How can you do things better if you don’t have feedback? Just as candidates receive feedback from you, now it’s the turn of you to be evaluated – or rather, recruiting/onboarding/other HR activities. Thanks to this, you will not only gain important insights, but also a new perspective. And most importantly, you will know what to change and improve.
How to make an effective survey ? Create a survey of 5 to 6 short questions. Go for closed-ended questions that participants can answer quickly. But always leave room for their own comment if they would like to add something to the answer. Attention, make the survey anonymous. That way you have a better chance of getting honest answers.