The Top Ten Recruitment Errors

Pre-hire skills testing can transform recruitment decision making

TRUMBULL, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new report by Questionmark, the online assessment provider, has revealed the top ten recruitment errors made by employers.

Despite the time and money invested in recruitment, even successful recruiters expect a failure rate of 40%.¹ The report demonstrates how assessing the skills of job applicants pre-hire can reduce mistakes and ensure employers recruit the best talent.

Common recruitment errors

1. Relying too much on the interview – ‘unconscious bias’ can undermine job interviews.
   
2. Not creating an accurate job description – recruiters are often not clear on the skills they need.
   
3. Recruiting the second-best candidate – not recruiting the best candidate can be detrimental.
   
4. Rushing recruitment – finding a long-term solution to a short-term problem can damage culture.
   
5. Looking to replace like for like – it’s tempting but unwise to judge a potential recruit on their similarity to the previous post holder.
   
6. Neglecting character and culture – a candidate can have the right skills but be a bad cultural fit.
   
7. Recruiting by instinct – first impressions can be an unreliable indicator of a candidate’s suitability.
   
8. Focusing on strengths and neglecting weaknesses – it’s important to identify which weaknesses are detrimental to the role and to assess candidates against them.
   
9. Poor screening of CVs – recruiters must make sure they are scanning with the right skills in mind, not just looking for the best-written CV.
   
10. Searching for perfection – asking for everything, could leave recruiters with nothing.

Lars Pedersen, CEO of Questionmark says, “The recruitment decisions employers make really matter. Good decisions build teams and boost productivity.

“Assessing staff pre-hire gives employers the information they need to make the best possible hiring decision. They identify which candidates have the skills to hit the ground running. They reveal whether potential recruits have the qualities and attitudes to fit in with team culture. They can predict which applicants have the aptitude to thrive.”

Read the full report here.

www.questionmark.com

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¹ https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephaniedenning/2019/04/27/the-new-hiring-practices-at-mckinsey-and-goldman-sachs/#47c832c0c93e