Hiring the right people is essential for any organization, which is why it’s important to avoid common hiring pitfalls. Bringing the wrong person on board can have a negative effect on employee morale and productivity, and potentially impact quality of patient care.
Many workforce development experts agree that hiring the wrong people can have long-lasting and damaging consequences on your organization. According to CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson, “When you add up missed sales opportunities, strained client and employee relations, potential legal issues, and resources to hire and train candidates, the cost can be considerable.”
Taking steps to avoid hiring the wrong people can create a better workplace culture and ensure positive experiences for your patients and customers. Take note of these three ways to avoiding common hiring pitfalls.
Focus on your marketing efforts.
Many qualified candidates research employers online before applying to a position. Candidates will often review an organization’s website and social media sites to determine whether it’s a good culture fit. This means your organization’s online presence can heavily influence the number of talented applicants you receive, which ultimately affects the quality of your applicant pool.
Make sure to put time and resources into making your organization’s website and social profiles visually appealing and welcoming to candidates. Investing in your marketing efforts will help you capture candidates’ attention and showcase your organization as an attractive place to work.
Provide clear job descriptions.
When it comes to providing job descriptions that effectively outline specific responsibilities and qualifications, many organizations fall short. A well-crafted job description not only sells a job opportunity to a candidate, but it also helps ensure the right type of candidates apply.
The Society for Human Resource Management cites that the right type of job description “tells an applicant what the position may involve or require.” Therefore, an applicant can decide whether or not they are a good fit for the position. Take the time to carefully review all your job descriptions, making sure they are written simply and filled with necessary qualifications and requirements.
Be proactive with your recruitment process.
When last-minute hiring needs must be met, many organizations end up hiring the wrong employees out of urgency. That’s why you should be proactive about your recruitment process. If you consistently source candidates through professional industry groups and events, you’ll be able to build a database of qualified applicants. Then, when a position opens up, you can quickly reach out to candidates who are likely to be a good fit.
Avoiding hiring pitfalls requires effort and thought throughout the candidate search and recruitment process. But the investment will be worth it if your organization experiences greater employee retention and productivity. Identifying common pitfalls now will help you avoid potentially serious workforce problems in the future.