All successful businesses rely on a steady stream of highly qualified and experienced hires to maintain a successful trajectory. However, attracting and retaining top talent can be a significant challenge for some organizations, and companies often wait until it's too late to try to impress their candidates.
The hiring phase is the best opportunity for businesses to show the best candidates how they can build a mutually beneficial relationship with the company, but not all companies make the best of this process. Here are some of the most consequential mistakes businesses make during the hiring phase and how you can overcome them with four simple tips.
What Are the Biggest Mistakes Businesses Make During the Hiring Phase?
1. Limited Communication with Candidates
Candidates value employers that clearly articulate how hiring them will benefit them and the company. As employee turnover increases and talent becomes more discerning about the positions on offer, businesses must take a more proactive approach to communicating with candidates.
Recent research revealed that almost half of American businesses are actively creating more transparency around workplace culture, the recruitment process, and career advancement potential from day one to improve the candidate experience. Businesses that are unable to connect with their potential hires early are likely to be left behind when top talent consider their options.
2. A Bad First Impression
Organizations can sometimes underestimate the importance of creating a positive first impression with every candidate. The recruitment process gives candidates a quick overview of a company’s culture, efficiency, and effectiveness. This experience can strongly influence a candidate’s opinion about their potential workplace and convince them to look elsewhere for employment - even if future processes meet their standards. As such, it is incredibly important for organizations to engage positively with every candidate from the start of the hiring process.
3. Not Setting Clear Expectations
The hiring process should give the candidate a clear understanding of what would be expected of them in the position, while employers should understand what they need to provide for the employee to produce their best work. Failure to clearly establish these expectations can cause the relationship souring or breaking down in the future. This can lead to high turnover rates and could result in potential candidates being reluctant to apply in the future.
4. Expecting Things to Be One-Sided
Companies can consider themselves to be in a position of power when they offer positions to potential hires. However, businesses must be aware that top talent expect the relationship to be reciprocal from the very beginning. Even during the hiring process, candidates expect employers to be communicative and collaborative. This gives them a clear indication of a company’s willingness to participate in a give-and-take relationship once they are hired. Businesses that actively show candidates how they can add value to their career are also more likely to be recommended to others even if the candidate chooses another offer.
How to Attract and Retain the Best Candidates
1. Invest in Technology
As the workforce grows younger, more employees demand the tools they need to do their jobs effectively. Companies often believe that they do provide these tools. However, they often direct their investment to tools that directly generate profit for the company. This can lead to a disconnect between the needs of the employee and the investments of the company.
A study conducted by PwC found that 90% of C-suite executives believe that they pay attention to their employees’ needs when investing in new technology but only a little more than half of employees agree. Business leaders must build and maintain open lines of communication with their employees to better understand their needs and make investment decisions accordingly.
2. Organize Your Workplace
For potential employees, the recruitment process is an important indicator of how the organization functions. As candidates receive tours, speak with coordinators, and communicate with hiring managers, they develop an understanding of a business’ priorities and processes. It is, therefore, essential that businesses keep their workplace organized at every level at all times. This requires effective and convenient processes to be put in place from first contact to onboarding. An organized recruitment process can help businesses create a strong first impression on potential hires and encourage them to pursue opportunities that are available to them there.
3. Encourage Them to Ask Questions
While most organizations proactively provide any information that they feel is relevant for the candidate, potential hires can sometimes have unanswered questions they are reluctant to ask - especially if they don’t have the opportunity to raise concerns or ask questions. Hiring managers can resolve this by explicitly encouraging candidates to ask questions, and set additional time aside for the candidate to share their opinions or seek clarification where necessary.
4. Know What You Want Beforehand
Businesses only get one chance to impress their candidates. If they’re unable to articulate what they want from the candidate and what they can provide to them, the candidate is likely to look at other opportunities for employment. Business leaders must be clear of what they want from each candidate and be able to communicate this to them effectively.
It is essential for businesses to understand that candidates are evaluating them just as much as they are assessing the candidate. By communicating effectively, investing in technology, keeping their recruitment processes organized, encouraging questions, and knowing what they want beforehand, businesses can make a great impression on potential hires and ensure they create an image of the ideal employer in the candidate's mind.
If you’d like to impress your most talented potential hires from day one with a modern visitor management system, check out how SwipedOn can work for your organization. Get our free trial today.
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