Attention HR! We Know Why You Are Losing Out on Best Candidates
Searching for the best candidate is no cakewalk. Hiring cost’s an organization both money and time. A study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management revealed that the average cost to hire an employee is $4,129.Yet the organizations end up losing out on best candidates. To put an end to this problem, we have come up with a list of all such possible causes that are responsible for losing out on best candidates.
1. Inappropriate Remuneration
A handsome salary always helps in closing good talent. Candidates may desire some significant benefits, for instance, flexible work hours, work from home days or easy access to the workplace. But, the amount on paycheck still matters the most to candidates. The best way to figure out the just salary for any significant position is by having it ascertain by a compensation analyst. If your organization is offering way less than what the candidate deserves then you are definitely going to lose out on good candidates. Moreover, risking them to be poached by your competitors. And being an underpaying organization will earn you bad repute too.
2. Long Process
Do you know? It takes about 23.8 days on an average to complete the hiring process in the USA. Such a lengthy hiring cycle can drive potential hires away from your organization. As it’s no secret that candidates often actively apply at multiple companies. So, if your hiring process is taking longer it may reflect that you are still doubtful about hiring them and they may consider offers by other companies. The best way to cut short your hiring cycle without skipping important steps is by organizing all the tests, group discussion and personal interview on one single day. As often clients are employed and can’t ditch work every other week for interviews. Another easy way of reaching out to the candidates can be video interviews.
3. Unprepared
Showing up late or unprepared to an interview is a big no! However, a last-minute meeting or attending a high-valued client’s call is urgent. But, making the applicant remain in the lobby for hours while you are sipping on coffee and cracking jokes with your colleagues is unfair. Interviewers need to understand that candidates often take time out of there working hours to appear for interviews. So, their presence and time need to be valued. Otherwise, it may leave a bad impression and the company is non-serious about the hiring process. Also, a number of times interviewers don’t even put in the efforts to read a candidate’s resume and end up questioning about things already mentioned in there. Giving the impression that they are disinterested. So, HR needs to avoid making such mistakes.
4. Asking too much
Expecting a candidate to present work related to their job profile, for the sake of testing their skills is fine and necessary. But, to ask them to submit authentic work which can eventually be utilized by the organization is unfair and unethical. Such a practice reflects that your organization is taking advantage of job-seekers and do it with your already working force too. Thus, it’s best if businesses stay away from undertaking such activities.
Another thing to keep in mind while asking for a sample assignment to access their skill set is to give them just time to finish it off. If the assigned time isn’t enough it may result in the withdrawal of employable candidates from the recruitment cycle.
5. Communication Gap
Candidates expect feedback the moment they step out of the interview room. If you reach out to short-listed candidates weeks after conducting interviews, there is a high chance they won’t even remember it. Why? Because if the feedback is taking longer than a week then they probably take it as a no. So, you should at least inform them via email or explain them over the phone. Also, always make it a point to send out thank you emails to all the candidates who were interviewed.
6.Too Much or No Automation
Applying automation in HR is a double-edged sword. Integration of applicant tracking software (ATS) in the hiring cycle is a big help to HR professionals. It saves them time and also, cut shorts the length of the hiring cycle. But, on the other hand, this software misses out on some well-qualified applicants due to the limitations of technology. For instance, many well-qualified candidates don’t put out there resume in the correct format and thus, such resumes of potential hires get rejected by the ATS. So, the best way to use ATS is in combination with the conventional process of hiring and not solely rely on ATS for selecting candidates.
Thus, at the end of the day, it’s the human resource which runs an organization. And for an organization to be successful, you need to hire the best ones out there.