Challenges in Talent Acquisition

The Art of Recruiting the Right Talent

Diversity is a norm in many organisations nowadays

The backbone of every organisation is its people. Therefore, it is important to hire the right people to be part of the company. However, the recruitment process can be a very challenging as there are many things to consider. It is a tedious process as recruiters will need to filter the applications that they receive before deciding on the right person for the job.

The art of recruiting the right talent is a skill that can hardly be learned from any textbook. Common recruitment mistakes can cause an organisation to break from within. According to an excerpt from Harvard Business Review, 80% of turnover is due to bad hiring decisions.

Well, what are the common recruitment mistakes?

1. Misguided by Resume

Recruiters have to be very careful not to fall into the trap of an impressive resume. An impressive resume may depict an applicant as being very good, based on his qualifications and work experience. However, this may not be the case when the time comes for the applicant to perform on the job. It is common for applicants to feature their best on the resume, but hiring managers will need to be able to sniff out whether the applicant is the right one for the job. This can be accomplished through an interview session, whereby the hiring managers can further filter the suitability of the applicant by asking a series of questions tailored to the job.

2. Urgency to Fill Vacancy

One factor than can influence the hiring process is the urgency to fill a vacancy. If a company is desperate to fill the position immediately, there is a high probability that the hiring manager may end up hiring the wrong person. If hiring is done in a rush, there is a tendency to negotiate or lower down the standard and requirement of hiring. It is important for a hiring manager to not negotiate the hiring criteria or requirement, because by doing so, the company will pay the consequences later on when they find out that the candidate is not suitable for the position.

3. Hiring After the First Interview

The first interview should not be the basis to conclude whether a candidate is suitable for the job. It is necessary to provide enough time for both parties to think through after the initial interview session. The reason being, the company may be ready to hire and train but the candidate could be looking for other options instead and is just using the company as a stepping stone. On the other hand, the candidate may be very keen to get the job, but there are other candidates more suitable for the job instead.

4. Personal Biasness

A proper recruitment process should not be influenced by personal biasness. However, many a time, companies fall into the trap of making hiring decisions skewed on personal biasness. Some candidates may get the job due to their looks or internal connections, and not because of their credibility or qualifications. This will harm the company’s performance in the long run because the candidate may not be able to contribute to meeting the key performance index of the department or company as a whole. In the worst case scenario, this situation may not be favourable to colleagues in the same department as they might need to work extra hours just to get the job done.

5. Applicant’s Skills Do Not Match Job Description

A hiring manager must be firm in making a hiring decision. The resume filtration process is the best to decide whether to proceed with an interview or to forfeit the application. A company is exposing itself to risk of turnover and possible decline in job performance should they hire a candidate without the required education background and experience. Hiring a person with skills and abilities not matching the job requirement would mean that the company will have to fork out more to train and equip the staff with the necessary skills to execute his job. The worst blow that could happen is when the candidate resigns after having completed the training, which leaves the company back to square one.

6. Inability to Manage Expectations

It is necessary for a hiring manager to be transparent with interview candidates on the company’s expectation towards them. In return, candidates will need to ensure that the employer holds up their end of the bargain by meeting the agreed remuneration and benefits agreed in the employment contract. This is to ensure favourable employer and employee relation and avoid any misunderstandings, which could result in two scenarios. The employer may have no choice but to terminate the employee if he or she is not performing. On the other hand, the employee may choose to leave the company when he feels that his needs are not met. Managing expectation is the key to retain good candidates and talents that can help grow the company.

7. No Proper Induction Programme

In any organisation, it is best if new employees are given proper induction to get them familiarised with the job description, possible career pathway in the organisation, company culture and also policy. Exposure to all this will help employees’ to perform in their job better. The lack of it will lead to confusion and job dissatisfaction. It is the recruiting company’s responsibility to educate and equip their staff with the necessary information that will help them in their job.

8. Interview Done by One Interviewer

Some organisation still practise interviewing with only one interviewer. This is not wrong, but may influence the hiring decision due to limited view or biasness in assessing the candidate’s suitability for the job. This could result in companies not hiring objectively. To increase the accuracy in hiring, it is critical to include more than one interviewer in the picture.

For organisation’s looking to improve on their recruitment process, you may reach out to Jackson Ng for consultation. Jackson will be able to help identify recruitment issues and establish solutions to your hiring needs. He has successfully helped many organisations reduce turnover and improve on their recruitment process. Do drop us a call at 082-413 033 or visit our website http://master-trainers.com.my/ for more information.

Employees are the backbone of every company