Hiring is hard. From sorting through piles of resumes to choosing between two candidates, hiring the right person for your business can be difficult. What hinders the hiring process even more is the myths surrounding hiring standards. When people fall into these myths, it can harm their hiring process. This leads to a smaller applicant pool, increased employee turnover, and other factors that can negatively impact your hiring process and workforce. Let’s explore the most common hiring myths and learn what’s true.
The right candidates will come to you.
Hiring managers often believe that if you put the job ad out there, the applicants will come. However, that is simply not true! Getting the right applicants to apply for your job openings takes time and effort. This includes posting to multiple job boards, actively responding to applicants, and re-engaging past candidates.
The hiring process is fair.
Most hiring personnel believe they make the right hires based on their past experience and gut feeling. However, this does not equate to a fair hiring process. Most people have bias in the hiring process, even if it’s subliminal. The use of pre-hire assessments in the hiring process can reduce this bias by being the first step in the screening process.
Hiring managers know how to interview.
Business owners may assume that their hiring managers know how to interview. However, most managers do not have adequate training to conduct productive, effective interviews. Consider setting aside time to train your hiring managers in hiring best practices, like these.
You should only recruit applicants when you need more help.
Most people only put job postings out when they are actively hiring. However, you never know when a great applicant will come along. Leaving your job posting up as a strategy to build your talent pool is an effective strategy to increase applicants when job openings come up.
Reference checks are a waste of time.
Conducting reference checks are one of the most overlooked parts of the hiring process. It’s simply a myth that reference checks are a waste of time. Reference checks are a good indicator on whether an applicant has people who will vouch for them. While hiring managers think that anyone who is put as a reference will have great things to say, that’s not always the case. References can be truthful on their opinion on your applicant and give insight into their strengths and weaknesses.
In conclusion, hiring myths are hindering hiring processes across the country. By debunking these myths, you can improve your applicant pool, make better hires, and increase employee retention. If you’re ready to improve your hiring process, Sprockets’ hiring solution can help. Contact us to learn more.