As a LEADER in an organization, you need a team to work. But a big challenge is to hire a Right Talent with Right Skill Sets & most importantly with Right Attitude
While there is no framework, no set rules or protocols to hire someone, but hiring managers should avoid these basic & most common mistakes. It will be in best interest for both parties (employer & employee). Let’s see
1) Paying very high importance to college pedigree
Hiring managers forget that they are hiring a person and not a ‘college ambassador’. College pedigree can be given due weightage but a blind prejudice towards the college is not desired at all. A tier 2-3 college person can also do wonders if given a right platform. Qualifying the top brass college of a country doesn’t necessarily guarantee a brilliant mind. So take a informed decision with eyes & ear open
2) Paying very high importance to skills rather than right attitude
Undoubtedly, every hiring manager looks for the right skill sets in a candidate, & there is nothing wrong about it. But sometimes they forget that they are hiring a person who has capability to learn & grasp new things. They are hiring a mind which can be trained, learned for a new skill set also. If the candidate has right attitude towards life, positive outlook, confidence on themselves they can put laces into a shoe. So take a informed decision with eyes & ear open
3) Looking for a 100% fit candidate
No one is prefect except GOD :). Are hiring managers themselves perfect. Someone has taken a chance on them as well. Do not except that the candidate might know everything that you are dreaming of. Every person is different & has strengths and weakness. If the candidate has all the core (Key) skills, right attitude you can hire. Other skills can be learnt with time. Looking for a 100% fit will result in endless hunting.
4) Interviewer not prepared as in :- What needs to be asked & judged from the candidate
Just like an interviewee prepares himself/herself for the interview, the interviewer also prepares (should prepare) themselves for it. They should structure the entire process & asks all the important & relevant questions. They can also make some sort of framework to judge all the interviewees with same set of parameters. But doing homework is important.
5) Salary bracket kept low as per the market standards
We all want to get ‘best’ in ‘least’ e.g. best house in least cost, best ROI in least spends AND best candidate in least possible payout. In reality this doesn’t happen.
‘There is nothing called as free lunches’
The hiring manager should do proper homework in terms of market standards of salary, % hike etc. Thinking of hiring a rockstar with high skill sets with high experience at a less salary is a distant dream – Will be shattered 🙂
6) Unclear JD & expectations
This is the biggest mistake. As an employer, you should clearly tell about the role, responsibilities & set the right expectations. If not done, it will be detrimental to both. Hiring manager should sit & write a proper JD, think about the roles & responsibilities that the candidate will perform & set this right upfront in the interview.
A falsely put rosy picture in front of candidate will lead to frustration & high attrition
7) Interviewing numerous candidates or taking numerous rounds of a candidate
Remember the more you interview, the more you will become confused. Remember no one is perfect. If after interviewing few candidates, you can’t one a fit, the problem is in you (hiring manager). So interviewing again & again one candidate, will also make you more confused.
8) Hiring a less smart/qualified person under yourself (Insecurity in hiring managers)
Remember you are hiring a person to ease your work and take your brand to greater heights. If a candidate brings a new dimension, new skills, new style, new ideas, which you might be lacking, it will be beneficial to you, your entire team and your complete brand as a whole.
Remember learning is an endless process & learning can be made from anyone not necessarily always from your seniors only.
9) Trying to prove yourself right & not able to grasp new things (Ego problems)
As an interviewer, one should listen properly. Most of the times we come with a fixed mind set and wants the answer in those frame only. If there are new things coming up which you are unaware then learn from the candidate also. Be broad minded
‘You can be excellent in few things, good in multiple things, knowledge of ALL things – But you can’t be excellent in ALL things’
10) Improper planning of team structure & hierarchy – So first hiring & then firing (common in startups)
Post funding, most of the startups do unplanned & unstructured hiring, as they need to show growth numbers to investors quickly. For a task X, there might be 2 persons but for a task Y there is none.
Sometimes they hire for each & every small task items. Then later on when the expenses shoots up, balance sheets looks wired, they have to do firing & downsizing. This not only breaks trust among the employees but reduces the brand value a lot.
So the management should plan hiring after putting lots of thoughts & might take help from external HR consultants also.
11) Not giving any feedback to candidates. Even not replying on mails & didn’t receive phone (a very big & most common mistake)
This is a big, most common and worst mistake that almost all hiring managers, HRs make. If you are not selecting a candidate (remember never say that that you rejected the candidate always use that you didn’t select the candidate), kindly inform him/her about this properly & professionally. Hanging them on & not giving reply is worst & even inhuman also.
Thoughts?
