15 Mistakes Hiring Managers should avoid

A job interview is an opportunity for both parties, HR manager and candidate, to find out whether the company and the candidate are a good fit or not. It requires therefore preparation from both sides and many things can go wrong during the interview stage. I would like to focus on the most common mistakes that recruiters are making when interviewing their future employees:

1) Making the job ad too specific or too generic.

If a job ad is too specific by mentioning qualifications, experiences and personal traits, it could put off a lot of good candidates. They might think that they don’t meet all the criteria and don’t see any reason to apply for that job. On the other hand, if a job ad is too generic and does not give any details with regard to job description and person specification, a recruiter might be faced with a flood of CVs. Shortlisting might become a time consuming challenge in this case. Thus, it is important to distinguish between essential and desirable requirements.

2) Not disclosing the salary in a job ad.

If candidates are not able to find out a job’s salary from your job ad you would miss out on a lot of good candidates. There are countries in which it is very unusual to disclose a person’s salary in a job ad. They prefer to discuss this matter during an interview. However, the chances that you will get a higher number of good candidates is if you provide this information straight away. Long discussions and negotiations in this regard can therefore be avoided. If the salary for a job seems to be too low the candidate would not apply in the first place. A recruiter would therefore be able to focus more on the tasks and responsibilities of the new hire during an interview conversation.

3) Not explaining the interview process in detail.

Potential candidates would appreciate it if the company would inform them in more detail about what they can expect: the type of interview, number of people they are going to meet, the number of interviews, the duration and when they will hear from the company again. Giving out this information in advance (without being asked by the candidate) would make your company look so much more professional! Or even better, publish this information already on your website.

4) Looking for a replica.

Often hiring managers are looking for a candidate who is currently doing the same job in a similar company. This approach will limit managers in terms of potential, creativity and innovation. Lots of good candidates might not be considered because they might not meet these criteria.

5) Doing it all alone.

It would be a missed opportunity to hold interviews on a 1-1 basis only. Getting the opinions of other company’s top executives can be very useful and eye-opening. Another good idea would be to include an employee who is working at the same level like the jobseeker. There is no harm in listening to other peoples’ personal opinions and thoughts. They might look at the candidate differently and see things that you might have not noticed or thought of. This additional feedback would help you to take the right decision.

6) Taking rushed decisions when the perfect candidate seems to be found.

It could be that in the middle of the interviewing process a manager might feel that he found the perfect fit. Even if that is the case, everyone should be given the same opportunity to attend the interview. Only after having interviewed all shortlisted candidates a decision and offer should be made.

7) Not coordinating the questions among panel members.

If the interview is a panel interview it would be advisable to coordinate the questions well in advance. Everyone should know what this task is: Who asks what questions? Who tests the candidates skills? Who checks the cultural fit? A well planned interview will also reflect more positive on the company’s image.

8) Not preparing the candidate about the company and the job in advance.

If the company would provide a candidate with detailed information about the company’s history and job role in advance, valuable time during the interview could be saved. The focus would be on the candidate’s skills, experiences and open questions rather than repeating the same general corporate information to every application.

9) Just asking questions.

A candidate’s suitability should not just be tested by asking questions but by making this part more interactive. For example, instead of asking “How well do you work with others?” you could offer the candidate a tour around your corporate premises. Letting the applicant talk with other employees or even giving a small task to do would give you instantly a more insightful idea as to how the person would interact with others.

10) Focusing only on skills and experiences.

Sometimes HR professionals seem to forget that specific knowledge and skills can always be taught but having the right work ethic, motivation and loyalty towards the company is often of major importance. Enthusiasm for a job can not be taught, neither bought. This aspect should therefore not be underestimated. Inviting a candidate to more than one interview would help to find out if a candidate is consistently motivated or whether the person just had a good day in the first interview.

11) Taking a rushed decision.

Sometimes there are jobs that need to be filled urgently. Companies decide to compromise and hire a mediocre candidate rather than waiting a bit longer for hiring the best possible candidate. This can have negative consequences, such as loss of productivity, decreased motivation among other staff members etc. It could be that the whole process of looking for a new hire would have to start again from scratch. In this case a considerable amount of money as well as time would have been wasted.

12) Relying on recommendations of other people.

Asking others for recommendations can be a good strategy and many people get jobs due to this approach. However, it would be advisable to still include some kind of assessment. A candidate’s career might look brilliant on paper and achievements might have been proven but if motivation seems to be low, it should not be ignored.

13) Not checking references thoroughly.

You should not just blindly rely on the references provided by the candidate but look beyond them. Try also to find additional professionals who are prepared to share their experiences with you as to how good the candidate really is.

14) Being too slow in taking a decision.

Recruitment is a fast-paced environment and great candidates apply at various companies at the same time. If you come across a great talent don’t waste too much time and let the person know you are seriously interested in them. It would be a pity to have found the perfect fit but too late, because the person already got an offer from another company. Speed nowadays can be considered as a competitive advantage and it doesn’t matter how big or small your company is. The quicker you are in attracting and hiring great talent the more successful your company will be.

15) Not disclosing the salary in a job ad.

If candidates are not able to find out a job’s salary from your job ad you would miss out on a lot of good candidates. There are countries in which it is very unusual to disclose a person’s salary in a job ad. They prefer to discuss this matter during an interview. However, the chances that you will get a higher number of good candidates is if you provide this information straight away. Long discussions and negotiations in this regard can therefore be avoided. If the salary for a job seems to be too low the candidate would not apply in the first place. A recruiter would therefore be able to focus more on the tasks and responsibilities of the new hire during an interview conversation.

Every job interview is different, not just for a job applicant but also for a Hiring Manager. It is not just important to know what to do but also what definitely not to do in order to get the best result.