Job candidates do many things that irk hiring managers, from failing to follow instructions to showing up late for interviews. However, hiring managers also commit their share of faux pas when dealing with candidates. If you want to people to form positive impressions of your company, regardless of whether you hire them, avoid these four things hiring managers do that drive job candidates crazy.
Failing to follow up with applicants is a major mistake in the recruiting world, but some hiring managers are so bogged down with applications, they find it difficult to respond to everyone. You don't need to write an essay-length message to every applicant, but you should at least send each person an email acknowledging receipt of the application as well as after an interview. Some hiring managers avoid sending rejection letters because they don't want to disappoint candidates, but most people would prefer you them know right away than to leave them hanging for weeks or months.
Asking irrelevant questions during interviews is another good way to make a bad impression on applicants. Not every question has to be directly related to the job, but don't ask about unrelated topics just to stretch out an interview. Instead, ask candidates to explain how they will prioritize and perform certain tasks or enhance their professional skills if you hire them. Keeping your questions as on-point as possible will also help you avoid running afoul of employment discrimination laws.
Candidates also hate when hiring managers show up unprepared for their interviews. If you are interviewing dozens of applicants, you probably won't be able to memorize all of their resumes. If you are stretched for time, take just a few minutes right before each interview to familiarize yourself with the candidate's professional background. If you really don't have time to do even a quick review, ask a colleague or your department's administrative assistant to read the resumes and make notes about each candidate. Then refer to these notes during the interview.
Finally, try not to have unreasonable expectations when you are trying to fill an open position. It's fine to list some "nice to have" skills in a job advertisement, but don't scare applicants off with laundry lists of requirements, especially if they aren't necessary to be successful in that position. If you are looking for a receptionist, for example, does every applicant really need a bachelor's degree and five to seven years of experience? If it's an entry-level job without much immediate room for growth, you probably won't find many candidates with those qualifications (and you would have good reason to question the ambition of those who did and were willing to accept such a role). Having unrealistic expectations may cause you to miss out on the perfect person for the job, so try to keep the list of requirements manageable and appropriate for the level of responsibility.
How you interact with candidates tells them a lot about how your company treats its employees. Make sure you follow up with each applicant, ask relevant interview questions, familiarize yourself with each candidate's qualifications and avoid having unrealistic expectations. If you fail to avoid these mistakes, you run the risk of making a bad impression and losing the perfect candidate to one of your competitors.
Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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