8 Hiring Myths that Impede Recruitment

8 Hiring Myths that Impede Recruitment - Talismatic

Could your notion of the ‘perfect candidate’ be getting in the way of choosing the right person for the job?

When it comes down to the recruitment process, selections are often made based on the characteristics they think their ideal hire should possess. In order to attain and retain the best people, recruiters must revisit the parameters on which they judge the capabilities of potential recruits. Are these ideal candidates actually costing the organization more money? Are they the most optimal people for a position? Below are 8 hiring myths that recruiters must dispel before they embark upon their recruiting cycles –

1.Recruitment is a numbers game, we will eventually find the “perfect fit”.

Prolonging the time-to- fill in search of the perfect fit drains recruiting budgets in the least productive way. The older a job gets, the less likely it is to attract relevant applicants. Take too long and the number of candidates already in your pipeline will diminish too. Don’t forget that potential candidates are likely to be speaking to competing organizations simultaneously and are privilege to several options at once. Besides the hunt for the perfect fit, there are also hidden costs to leaving a position unfilled. The amount of time taken by the process of selection and the loss in productivity from having an absentee team member, all accumulate to the point where having the perfect fit does not balance out to having a good fit.

2.Referrals make the best recruits.

While referrals seem to be a common hiring practice, you might be missing out on a diverse amount of talent. Over 54% of Americans now use the internet to research available jobs, and nearly 45 percent apply for jobs online. Thanks to online job boards and mobile platforms, 53% of individuals between the ages 18 to 29 are doing their job search on-the- go. About 30% of all Google searches, that’s about 300 million per month, are employment related. A lot of these are proactive job seekers who may be better suited to your work environment and should not be given a miss.

3.Hiring someone from the same industry is a must.

While this may hold true for technical positions, certain cross-functional roles can blur the lines between industries. Candidates from these fields are capable of adjusting seamlessly into similar roles in a different industry. What’s more, is that they’ll likely stimulate new ideas and provide innovative ways to handle a situation. That being said, it must be pulled off very carefully by gauging appropriately whether the candidate can adapt easily and perform in a new environment.

4.Compensation is the biggest priority for potential recruits.

While compensation is right up there amongst the most important ones, the company’s brand, too, plays a large role in sealing the deal for new recruits. Recruitment today is largely candidate-driven and in order to ensure the best talent, companies today must build a name for their brand in the employment space too. Studies show that millennials today are willing to forfeit a higher salary for a job that is more satisfying. Besides a good brand and compensation, other important factors include career growth opportunities, work-life balance, location/commute, and company culture and values.

5.Hiring from top colleges will deliver the best recruits.

Universities are a great source of potential candidates but are the top universities most necessarily the ones you need to visit? No. The better idea would be to look for universities that teach the skills vital to the position you’re hiring at. Students who are well equipped with certain skills are more likely to be a better fit to the organization since they can assimilate the required information and bring fresher ideas to the table.

6.The most experienced candidates will do the best jobs.

More often, the best candidates are the ones who are agile and willing to adapt to the company’s work culture. This is not always determined by the skills and experience a candidate possesses. Several highly experienced candidates will be used to a certain way of working and may not fit in well with the other members in a team. That is why it is best for recruiters to shift from hiring for experience to hiring for potential.

7.Passive recruitment is less effective.

Passive recruitment may actually work in your favour since the candidates are not actively seeking jobs at the moment and are hence less likely to be talking to other employers. Moreover, their job profiles will be very similar to the positions you’re looking to fill, which means less of an adjustment period. A key element to ease passive recruiting, is obtaining a reserve of candidates and potential competitors who may have such employees currently working with them.

8.Hiring from within the city is less of a hassle.

In their attempts to hire from the same city, recruiters may miss out on some of the best talent across the country. One major impediment that recruiters experienced was the expense involved in the recruitment process – searching for and interviewing candidates across states. But today, videoconferencing with candidates is becoming a popular way of recruiting at lower costs. Also, there are a wider number of options to video conference with candidates. So don’t hesitate to venture outside the city and tap into a more proactive pool of talent that could better fit the job’s expectations.