Avoid these common hiring mistakes by using a recruitment agency

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You can’t afford to make hiring mistakes in today’s job market. Ongoing candidate shortages show no sign of changing. And fewer people applying for each vacancy means many are struggling to find good quality staff.

Given the current recruitment landscape, getting it all right can be a delicate balancing act. And businesses who choose to go it alone when it comes to recruitment may have real struggles finding the right employees for their team.

Let’s look at some common hiring mistakes you avoid – and what you gain – if you partner with a recruitment agency to find your next employees.

Hiring mistake 1: Lack of knowledge about what candidates want

It’s crucial to work hard to woo the best talent, from salary and benefits to culture and career progression. It’s about making sure you know what’s on candidate wish lists, particularly when they have plenty of other choices.

And as demand for workers is strong, candidates realise they can ask for more. That might be higher pay, enhanced benefits or simply a commitment to working from home all or part of the time.

As an organisation, you may have an idea of what your rivals are offering, but what about the big picture? Recruitment agencies tap into up-to-date insights about the type of prizes top job seekers are looking for in your sector.

That means our network of expert consultants have a deep understanding of recruitment trends. This only comes from nurturing ongoing relationships with key players within multiple sectors.

Hiring mistake 2: Costly delays in the recruitment process

With candidates in the driving seat, most if not all will be considering more than one vacancy. So allowing needless delays to creep into your recruitment process can prove fatal. That might be taking too long to respond to a candidate’s question, or allowing too much time to pass before contacting them to arrange an interview.

Faster hiring is what recruitment agencies are skilled at. The result? Top candidates aren’t looking elsewhere while waiting for your next step. And your vacancy is filled fast with a stellar new employee adding value to your business.

Hiring mistake 3: Bombarded by unsuitable candidates

Use in-house resources to list vacancies on a job board, and chances are you’ll hear from candidates who lack the experience and skills you’re after. In contrast, recruitment agencies only shortlist qualified candidates.

That’s because they don’t just have ninja know-how on getting the most out of the major job boards. With a huge database of available talent at their fingertips, they can hone their searches to find people with the knowledge and abilities you need. And they’re adept at identifying important transferable skills that you could miss.

Bear in mind that your ideal future employee might not even be proactively looking for work. Getting what we call ‘passive candidates’ interested in applying for your role is another crucial benefit of using a recruitment agency.

Hiring mistake 4: Vague job descriptions

From a candidate’s perspective, it can be frustrating to read a job advert or job description and be left with a list of questions at the end. So it’s crucial to make things as specific as possible up front.

If not, a member of your team has to waste precious resources answering questions about the role and the company. Worse still, your organisation may lose candidates who don’t bother to find out missing bits of information they’d like to know.

You can check out our guide on writing fantastic job descriptions, or just be assured that using a recruitment agency means that the spot-on details are included every time.

Hiring mistake 5: Not checking references

It might be tempting to believe you've found your perfect candidate if you bonded in the interview. You may think checking their references isn't necessary when they've already ticked all your boxes. But according to a recent poll by CareCheck, 51% of UK adults have lied on their CV. And that includes people interviewing for high level positions.

The best gauge of whether a person is qualified for the role is not how often and impressively they use current industry terminology. It's checking on what their responsibilities were in their previous employment. If you want to go a step further, you can set them a timed test to complete for your evaluation. But definitely don't skimp on reference checking.

Recruitment agencies check references as a matter of routine. They also conduct video screening, background checks and confirm industry qualifications. Some, like HR GO, even offer psychometric testing to see how candidates will fit into your company culture.

Hiring mistake 6:  Losing new staff

If you’ve recently recruited a new employee, you may be glad the process is behind you. But will your new hire prove a good fit for the position as well as your company culture? And how long will they stay?

Hiring the wrong person for the job is a very costly proposition. Research by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation in 2017 estimated the cost at over 3 times higher than the salary paid. And holding onto your valuable people and giving them the support and tools to develop into happy, productive long-term members of your team may not be as simple as it seems. In fact, in a 2021 consumer poll only 73% of employees considered themselves to be a good match for their position.

Having specialist knowledge in different sectors and keeping abreast of market changes, recruitment agencies work faster with higher success placing the right candidate in the right position. They also have the inside track on what it takes to retain talent, and the tempting packages your rivals might be putting together to woo them away. 

In this ultra-competitive market, you need to use all the tools at your disposal. And that means calling in the experts. 

Get in touch

Contact us for more information on why your business is far better off partnering with a recruitment agency, whether you’re looking for temporary, contract or permanent staff. Find your local HR GO branch here, or for regional or national candidate needs, contact our National Sales team.