What are the main mistakes when recruiting new collaborators? Here we tell you

April
22, 2021

4 min read

^{By: Alejandro Paz, country manager at Robert Walters México}

It’s 2021 and after learning to surf in pandemic times, you surely need to get a group of people together again to grow your business. In the current context, it is important to comment on the main mistakes when recruiting new collaborators.

In this sense, I share with you which are the errors to which we must pay attention:

• Not being clear about the profile you are looking for: it is very common that when organizations make the decision to look for a new profile, they make an immense list of the set of skills and knowledge they need in the candidate. However, there is often an imbalance between what is sought, what is offered by the organization and the market in general. For this it is important to analyze the position in detail, question the essential skills and knowledge and know the salary range of the market to ensure that the search is aligned and we can compete to reach those profiles.

• Job advertisement: the job advertisement is the first showcase for candidates to know about the opportunity and feel attracted. A very general job advertisement, with little information, will not attract candidates who meet the requirements, generating a double job to identify qualified candidates for the position.

Seek that your ads contain the necessary information, without over-promising the position to avoid false expectations in the medium term. To make your ad more successful, include information about the position, activities of the position, expected results, the necessary technical and personal skills, information about the company, organizational culture and what they can offer.

• Not having an employer brand: companies that do have an employer brand will be able to position themselves in the minds of the best candidates; Being an invisible company can impact the number of applicants. It is important that marketing and HR teams can create a powerful employer brand that shows the day-to-day life of the organization and can share the best stories of the organization’s employees.

• Get carried away only by paper: nobody teaches us to create our CV, there is no training on this subject when it will be one of the most important elements when entering the labor market. We found, 5-page CVs that include since the person was in kindergarten and an infinite list of activities, but not the tangible result. Many times the format of the CV, as well as the design and content can skew the first impression and even impact diversity issues. If you get carried away, you could be leaving promising candidates out.

We recommend having anonymous CVs in a homogeneous business format that allow you to analyze the information from a more objective perspective. In the interviews, there are organizations that distort the voice, practical cases can also be implemented to learn more about the way of thinking of the applicants.

• Balance between skills and technical knowledge: the pandemic has made it clear that in addition to technical skills, soft skills such as resilience, leadership, communication and autonomy are required. There are models of interviews by competencies, as well as specialized tests that can help you map the result between the expectation of the position and those that the candidate has or has yet to develop.

• Too long and slow processes: Do you already have the best candidates? Hurry to decide! One of the worst mistakes that can be made is creating endless processes with many interviews and where responses are delayed. If the candidate will not be selected, they will only be investing a lot of time and if you already have the perfect candidate, but you take time to respond, some other company may offer and you will lose your best candidate. Make sure the process is as agile as possible.