Josh TolanJust when you think you’ve got the hiring process down, another complication arises. This proves recruiting isn’t for the faint of heart.
The biggest mistake any recruiter or HR pro makes is to give up when faced with a challenge. It’s when teams come together to discuss, face, and resolve those problems that real hiring magic is made.
Here are five hiring process challenges you can learn to overcome today:
1. The balance between robots and humans.
The biggest challenge that we see is in trying to find the balance between software and experienced human review. In order to make the selection process easier, most recruiters and HR people use at least two or three different types of software.
One such example is ATS. The problem is, AI isn’t good enough yet to pick out the perfect fit candidates. A human review is needed, and more importantly, a person who is knowledgeable in the area of expertise.
HR departments are expensive to run and recruiters charge high fees. Maximum value must be delivered to be a viable alternative to individual managers or experts doing DIY hiring.
— Jason Lavis, Marketing Director at NATRESPRO
2. Lackluster job descriptions.
One of the most difficult things I’ve found during the hiring process is managers who don’t really know how to articulate what they want in an employee or even what a good candidate looks like.
HR and managers need to work together. It’s not a cold hand-off. Managers shouldn’t just say, “go find me a person to fill this job.” Rather, HR should take a more strategic approach to find out what problem the position will solve, what kind of person will fit best, and what type of job ad will attract that candidate.
In the best organizations, standard job description templates are provided so that managers have a working document to start with. These can be found on sites like SHRM.org as well as FitSmallBusiness.com. HR should be structured so that they’re a strategic business partner to managers, not just a service provider.
— Laura Handrick, Human Resources Staff Writer at Fit Small Business
3. There’s never enough time.
The most complicated challenge we face as recruiters and HR pros is the fact that hiring managers take too long to set up initial interviews. Then, once hiring managers interview, they take too long giving feedback and next steps. These managers are so overwhelmed, they have no time for conducting interviews or making a decision on who they want to move forward.
Companies that have an excellent recruiting process will quickly hire strong talent.
We need to push our hiring managers to take the time to interview, give feedback within 24 hours of the interview, and make decisions in a timely manner.
Create time slots on the hiring manager’s calendar to discuss the recruiting process, the search, and candidate feedback. Also, leave 30 to 45-minute slots on their calendar so when the right candidates are found, there are already time slots available to set up interviews ASAP.
— Daniel Miller, VP of Recruiting at Empowered Staffing
4. Fulfilling those high expectations.
The most complicated challenge in the hiring process is the ability to manage expectations, both from your executives and your candidates.
Expectations can often be about salary, skillset must-haves, or timelines for hiring. To me, this starts at the intake of a role, but too often recruiters say ‘yes’ to something that is not attainable. It is essential to manage expectations toward executives and hiring managers alike and use data and storytelling when objectives are missed.
Really dig into why a goal or objective is being missed and then present a logical, concise solution which might include adjusting the details of the role or reallocating resources and shifting focus.
Great role intake meetings and feedback sessions are helpful in avoiding issues before they arise. Hold roundups after interviews with your recruiters to objectively look into feedback. Then, be prepared to pivot or change course quickly with each new batch of candidates.
— Matt Greenburg, Head of Recruiting at ZeroCater
5. Mixed signals.
The most complicated challenge that arises during the hiring process ultimately becomes communication and collaboration when interviewing among the hiring team. Whether it’s agreeing on requirements for the role or deciding on which candidates to interview, the more parties involved, the messier the communication can become.
Cloud-based SaaS solutions, like ours, amalgamates all parties’ voices about which qualities and talents would make a candidate successful in a role. This makes writing job descriptions collaborative and easy.
Understanding deep data on each applicant — beyond what’s on their resume — such as their personality, cognitive ability, and social intelligence, provides a tangible reference for all stakeholders to point to when discussing shortlisting options.
— Emily Sider, Content Marketing Specialist at Plum
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