Denine Walters

How to Avoid Time Wasters in the Hiring Process Time is a very valuable commodity. Do you know how much time workers waste? Almost 90% of employees admit to wasting time while at work every day, wasting roughly three hours per an eight-hour workday. Saying that’s significant seems like an understatement. We know you want to be efficient in your job and work as effectively as possible. Learn how to avoid the common time wasters during the hiring or recruitment process to better own your time at work! 7 Top Time Wasters During the Recruiting Process & How to Avoid Them Here is a list of the 7 top recruitment time wasters and tips for avoiding them so you can recruit more effectively: 1. Unclear Job Descriptions Vague job descriptions lead to two big problems. First, loads of unqualified applications will flood your mailbox, meaning you need to wade through these to find the gems in the haystack. Second, candidates may make assumptions about the job, your company, and team and decide not to apply. This leaves you with a shortfall of applicants from which to choose. How to fix this: Write clear job descriptions by including the minimum job experience needed, the skills and qualifications hirees need, and the job’s roles and duties. Use keywords, much like what you’d use in search engine optimization techniques, to attract your ideal applicants. 2. Considering Under-Qualified Candidates While some under-qualified candidates can certainly look promising, they may not deliver. So, rather weed these out as early as possible in your recruitment process. How to fix this: Be honest with these applicants as they’ll appreciate not being hoodwinked. If it does seem like they have something to offer, you can offer them resources and viable alternatives. These job seekers will likely speak highly of your company, which is valuable to you. 3. Neglecting Social Recruiting Nearly 80% of job seekers use social media to look for jobs. You miss out on lots of opportunities by not utilizing social media platforms in the hiring process. How to fix this: Use social recruiting as one of your hiring strategies. It offers you a unique way to further establish your brand, gain digital visibility, connect with passive job candidates, stand out from your competitors, and find top talent. 4. Hiring When a Position Opens A top time waster for recruiters is having a reactive model of recruiting: when a job position opens up, they start the hiring process each time. How to fix this: Switch to a proactive recruiting process. Have talent on hand by developing a talent pipeline where you foster relationships with potential talent. This will help you fill key job openings fast and escape what may seem like a never-ending hiring process restarting each time a position needs to be filled. 5. Interviewing Too Many Candidates Many HR managers and talent recruiters are interviewing too many candidates from a too-long shortlist. This increases how long your recruiting process takes and, ultimately, delays filling the job position. How to fix this: Cut down on the number of candidates you add to your shortlist. Share a list with everyone on your recruitment team so they know exactly what your ideal candidate looks like. You can also send a list of interview questions to the shortlisted candidates. Have them video record their responses of 3-5 questions. If an applicant doesn’t seem like a good fit, you can easily stop the video; it is easier and quicker than stopping an interview. 6. A Long Hiring Process Many open job positions take weeks, if not months, to fill. If this sounds familiar, your recruiting process may be too lengthy and you need to go back to the drawing board. How to fix this: Rethink your hiring strategy. Ask key questions such as the following and optimize how you hire: ● Are enough of the “right” candidates applying for the position? ● Is your job description written clearly? Does it stand out from your competitors? Does it fit your brand and work culture? ● Should you consider adding social recruiting to better target ideal applicants? ● Should you look at a talent acquisition platform to help you with your hiring process? 7. Striving for Perfection Don’t wait for the perfect unicorn candidate, or the purple squirrel. This wastes time because your perfect candidate most likely doesn’t exist, or they are nearly impossible to find and recruit. How to fix this: Consider serious candidates who possess a good balance of qualifications, personality, and job skills. Add these to your shortlist and decide to hire a candidate who performs the best after the interview process. Final Thoughts Time wasters during the recruitment process are everywhere. They can show up really early in the hiring process, from writing that job description, to making the decision about whom you should hire. Stop wasting time today and use our tips to help you. To increase your recruiting process productivity by at least 20%, consider working with a leading talent experience management platform. Contact &team now to learn more about how we can help you!