7 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring New Employees in 2024

Your company is expanding and needs new employees. This means that you, the hiring manager, have a lot of work ahead of you. You probably already know that you have a long and complicated process ahead of you until you find exactly the people you need to make your company even better. You feel pressured because you must not make a mistake, and mistakes often happen during this process. The best indicator of why it is unacceptable to make a mistake and hire an unsuitable worker is research that tells us that a company can lose tens of thousands of dollars a year as a result of poor selection of the new employees. To prevent this from happening to you and jeopardizing your workplace, we will tell you the most common mistakes a hiring manager can make, so that you can avoid them and satisfy your bosses.

1. You don’t have a clear plan

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You need to have an elaborate plan that includes all the details, such as how many people you will hire, what qualifications you are looking for, what you expect from them and everything else. And be sure to set aside enough time for all of that. It often happens that the importance of detailed planning and evolution of candidates is neglected and that the decision is made quickly. We know that sometimes not all decisions are up to you, but you try not to succumb to the pressure of your superiors and to dedicate enough time to each candidate.

2. You pay attention only to what is written in the CV

A well-written CV is something that is necessary for all candidates to submit to you. But today, in the age of the internet, it is easier than ever to write a good CV, because there are tips at every step. Of course, the level of education and previous experience cannot be made up and are certainly very important, but do not allow yourself to make your decision based on that alone. Be insightful and pay attention to details, both in the CV and during the interview with the candidate. Let CV be used only for the initial triage, so that you know if the candidate meets what you are looking for at all. But after that, pay attention to other things, like his skill, social intelligence and similar things that can’t be seen from someone’s resume, but only live. If someone’s CV is your only criterion, chances are you will make a mistake.

3. You rely too much or too little on HR tools

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We advise you to use hiring tools without any dilemma. There are so many different tools, and each one will be extremely useful to you. It will shorten your time, sort everything as you see fit, search social networks for you, have data analytics and many other things. It would be foolish not to take advantage of advances in the field of HR software. Gone are the days when you had to write everything down. But also, many managers today rely too much on tools. As much as tools are helpful, they can never have human intuition or pay attention to detail. So use them as something that will help you, but not something that will make decisions for you.

4. You are not checking the candidate’s background

There are different opinions about when to check a candidate’s background, but one thing is for sure, you definitely need to do this before hiring him. Some experts believe that you should do this right at the beginning, because you do not want to spend a few months on someone who will turn out to be an unsuitable candidate.

Others think that it is unnecessary to check all the candidates who have applied for a job but to do it only with those candidates who have reached the last round. However, you must not fail to check their criminal record and the general truthfulness of the information they have provided in their CV. Never count on someone’s honesty. Our advice to you is to check all the candidates immediately because it is easier today than ever.

5. You are biased

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Bias is something that is an integral part of our lives, but it must be avoided here at all costs. Just as one colleague is more likable to you than another, so it will be with potential employees. But you must not let that affect your decision. Be as realistic as possible. We are not saying that you should ignore your intuition, but bias will lead to error.

6. Wrong approach during the interview

When you come to interviews, it means that you have narrowed your choice and that one of these candidates will be your future colleague. Just as candidates can make many mistakes in an interview that will disqualify them, so can you make mistakes. Some of the most common mistakes are that you talk too much and don’t allow other people to show themselves at their best. Don’t use approaches from popular psychology, but stick to proven questions from which you can learn the most about the person you are interviewing. Multi-stage interviews can also have a negative effect because they will usually not give you any new info, and can only be counterproductive. That is why it is best to interview first by phone or Skype and to invite only the best candidates to a live interview.

7. You are not always looking for employees

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Many hiring managers make the mistake of looking for employees only when there is a vacancy. Then they are under pressure to find the right person as soon as possible and then make mistakes. The essence of finding a quality employee is a constant search. Check LinkedIn and similar sites constantly and you will find the best candidates. Then you have no imperative to hire someone and make the best choice.

Conclusion:

You must avoid all these mistakes at all costs. New employees will have big implications for the whole company and so do not neglect anything in this process.