Five Easy Mistakes Recruiters Make

To find the right candidate for the right role is always going to be challenging and time consuming. Yet, many recruiters are making the process even more difficult than it needs to be, by repeating the same mistakes again, and again. To ensure you do not fall into this trap, here are the five mistakes recruiters make, which you need to avoid.

1. Not seeing the bigger picture

When recruiting for multiple roles it is important to not solely focus on one vacancy at a time. Recruiting in this way is short-sighted; often, many gifted and talented candidates are not considered for a position as they do not possess a quality that an employer requires for a specific job role. This is fair enough. However, they may possess a quality required for another role you are recruiting for or may be suitable for jobs further down the line. Therefore, it is important to build a good rapport with these candidates and keep a note of the qualities they possess. This can save a significant amount of time later on and means you will have a quality database of prospective candidates to draw upon.

2. Jumping to conclusions

Receiving a large influx of CVs should always be expected. With this in mind, it is of no surprise that recruiters are spoilt for choice when it comes to finding quality candidates to fill a position. However, often qualified candidates are overlooked because they do not have a prestigious educational background or as much work experience as an employer might desire. Therefore, when recruiting, it is advised to keep an open mind and if a candidate possesses the right skills, but a little less experience, hold an informal interview to see if they are a match.

3. Offering too much

A particularly easy mistake to make is offering a high-end salary, especially for managerial level positions. Although an attractive salary will capture the attention of a candidate, it does not guarantee a long-term employee. Starting a candidate out on a high salary leaves little room in a budget to reward hard work with a raise or promotion, and so a candidate may be quicker to leave a company. Instead, recruiters should encourage employers to offer a slightly lower salary and allow the opportunity to use raises and promotions as an incentive to motivate candidates.

4. Focussing too much on the process

Often, recruiters are too focused on the task at hand of fulfilling their client’s materialistic needs that a communication barrier begins to form. A recruiter’s job is to guide employers and candidates through the recruitment process as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Yet, occasionally recruiters have a tendency to focus too much on filling the role and not on listening to their prospective hires and clients. Try not to predict outcomes of interviews and conversations and remain as personable as possible. You do not want to miss out on a candidate because you failed to keep in touch or were over confident in your abilities.

5. Being complacent

When recruiting for multiple roles, it is easy to lose sight and to stop viewing candidates individually. Before recommended a candidate to a client, you need to fully understand the candidate’s desires and fears regarding a position. You do not want to push a candidate for a role if they are not comfortable and if they pulled out of a position further down the line, this would only reflect badly on you. The same is true for your clients, make sure you are on the same page and fully understand the type of candidate they are looking for, pay attention to detail and listen intently to what your clients and candidates have to say.