There many but here are the common four hiring first impression failures. They are four sure ways to lose candidates: HR and hiring managers are responsible for first impressions which can create or crush successful hiring. In a down economy with high unemployment it’s easy to see how employers might think it’s a “buyers market.” Some say openly they have “the pick of the best candidates, and they can get them for less pay.”
Nothing could be farther from the truth, and that attitude has a profound effect on your company’s reputation.
We read in business news and colleagues how HR and Hiring managers can doom the hiring process from the beginning. It’s an art to interview and engage candidates. The interviewer’s behavior makes all the difference and can equally uncover the best candidates or frighten them away.
We consistently see these three failures occur.
- Not selling candidates. Companies must sell candidates on why they should work there. Expecting them to read the website and come to that conclusion is a bad assumption. Enthusiasm of the type that HR or the hiring manager can convey only occurs through good, effective human interaction.
- Treating candidates like a number. It’s incorrect to think that interviewing is the process of sifting through a list of resumes to find the best one. Instead, it is a two way process. While you are evaluating the abilities of the candidate, they too are evaluating you, your style, and whether they want the job.
- Low-balling the wages. It is painfully obvious to candidates when they are asked to take a position with less pay than their skills and experience demand. They know what they are worth to your competitor down the street. Low-balling wages tells candidates your company does not look out for its employees.
- Not listening. In an interview, you should listen 70-80% of the time. Showing intense interest shows respect and builds trust. Lack of focus appears to be checking the boxes which in turn lowers candidate interest in the job. Both parties lose when skills and abilities are not evaluated in earnest.
Often, the most critical step is that first impression HR and hiring managers make on the first phone call. Just like a first impression face-to-face, that interaction can set the stage for gaining a quality high performing candidate’s interest, or losing it beyond recovery.
You carry your company’s brand through your interaction with candidates. You are, in essence, marketing your company. Your behavior in greeting, meeting and treating candidates is just as important the bottom line as is the sales team’s effectiveness in making calls (first impressions) on customers.
Your company’s reputation in the social era, is well known. Among the candidate community, word get’s around fast on twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media.
Barton Staffing is an extension of your first impression. We work to help you avoid hiring first impression failures. We make every effort to ignite candidate interest for your company. Call us to learn more how we nurture good impressions from initial contact to on-boarding.