A bad hire isn’t just an unpleasant experience that can be chalked up to mistakes being made. It’s an expensive error that employers want to try to avoid as much as possible.
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation estimates that the cost of replacing one single mid-level employee can exceed £132,000 once you take into account the hiring process, loss of productivity, and training. That money can be utilised elsewhere within the company. The best way to avoid mounting costs like this is to simply perfect your hiring process. We have some tips to help you do just that.
Better Job Descriptions
Successful recruitment starts with an effective advertisement. Crafting the perfect job description that goes beyond the usual listing of duties is crucial. It’s not just about attracting the right people, but also about dissuading unqualified applicants from wasting your time.
You need to be clear on things like
- Specific skills and experience that are essential for the job role
- Set clear expectations for performance and behaviour so applicants know what they can expect from you and the working environment.
- Your company culture and values as this allows applicants to see if they’ll be a good fit.
- Growth opportunities, some people won’t apply if there’s no way for them to grow or have anything to encourage them to commit long term.
Streamline the Application Process
Next, you need to streamline the application and vetting process so that it is much easier for applicants to apply for the position. Your application needs to be suitable for mobile users, as this is how the majority of people apply for jobs. It needs to be clear and efficient, with timed deadlines for each stage, and you need to avoid being repetitive.
Don’t ask them to upload their CV and then ask them to fill in all the details on it. Either have them fill it out on your application or upload their CV, but not both.
Your application also needs to be clear about what applicants can expect next. Will they receive contact regarding their suitability or not? And when can they expect this? This will give out a good, strong first impression of your company.
Structured Interviews and Assessments
The last thing you want is to let subjective bias creep into your interview techniques and decision-making processes. To avoid this, you need to structure your interviews so that all applicants are asked the same questions in the same way, which will give you a more level playing field. This will make it easier to judge applicants based on their answers, not any other impressions.
Use Assessments Were Appropriate
Employers can and should use a range of different assessments to help them further assess whether an employee is suitable for the job role and how they will integrate into the workplace with their existing team.
Pre-employment medicals carried out by companies such as Assist Group can help you understand if a candidate is fit enough for the job role you are hiring them for. While cognitive ability tests, personality assessments and skills assessments, along with situational judgement tests, can all be valuable in helping you understand more about your potential new hire and how they will react to different circumstances and scenarios within the scope of the job role and within your team too.
