Getting the right person for your team is vital for the growth of your business. Unfortunately, this is one area where most companies need help. According to a Monster global report, 9 out of 10 employers struggle to fill jobs with 29% saying that the skills gap has increased over the years. If this trend continues, then companies have their work cut out in trying to find ways they can attract the best talent.
The task of finding the best talent can become even more difficult given the misconceptions that continue to hound the recruitment industry. In this article, we will try to debunk common hiring myths about the hiring process. It may result in you making a bad hire that could impact the success of your team. So keep scrolling down and learn about these recruitment myths.
Common Recruitment Myths
- Anyone Can Be A Recruiter
- Recruitment is Easy
- Passive Candidates Make A Better Hire Than Active Ones
- AI Will Replace Human Recruiters In The Future
- The Job Ad Is All That Matters
- You Should Select A Candidate Based Solely On Their Job Skills and Background
- Employment History Is The Best Indicator of Quality
- Recruiting Is Just Like Sales
- The Perfect Candidate Does Exist
Common Recruitment Myths
We cannot deny the importance of recruitment for any company. Bringing in new talent is your key to business success and growth. Here are 10 recruitment myths that may serve as an obstacle in finding the right candidate to fill vacant positions in your company.
1. Anyone Can Be A Recruiter
One of the most common myths about recruitment is that anyone is fit to be a recruiter. While it may look like a very simple job, it requires a combination of knowledge, skill, and experience. In order to become a successful recruiter, you need to be knowledgeable about current market trends, compensation rates, and the competitive landscape.
In addition, a recruiter needs to have familiarity with different recruitment methods. They should have a network of contacts that they can use to find qualified candidates. A good recruiter should have excellent interpersonal and communication skills. This is important in building relationships with both the applicant and the hiring manager.
Successful recruiters should have a strong work ethic, attention to detail, and be able to handle and manage multiple tasks simultaneously. They should be able to evaluate candidates objectively and make informed hiring decisions based on a company’s best interests.
2. Recruitment is Easy
This is one of the most common myths about the recruitment process. Some may think that finding and hiring new personnel is a straightforward process but it is not. It involves a lot of expertise, knowledge, and time. As a recruiter, you need to identify and attract suitable candidates, assess their skills and qualifications, make a compelling pitch to convince candidates to join your organization and work your way around various legal and regulatory requirements, which are by no means easy jobs.
Another reason why this is completely false is because the act of finding the right candidate itself is hard. Just when you thought that you have already found the right person, he or she may not be exactly the best fit for the job. In addition, recruiting new candidates is an in-depth process. You need to have an established protocol for conducting the recruitment process. You always need to reassess what is and what is not working for your recruitment team. Recruitment is not easy because you need to make adjustments as needed.
In fact, even the most seasoned recruiters still find it a challenge to find the right candidates. About 73% of employers find it difficult to search for skilled candidates. In addition, 21% of recruiters believe that they cannot meet the requirements of the top talents. Recruitment can be competitive and you need to have a determined mindset. It is known for being a notoriously tough gig to do over a long period of time. It can be a highly stressful and emotional job and may lead to burn out if you are not careful.
3. Passive Candidates Make A Better Hire Than Active Ones
This is not the case all the time because sometimes they are harder to hire than those who are actively seeking job opportunities. Passive candidates comprise 73% of the applicant pool available to recruiters. These candidates are often portrayed as higher quality than active candidates. But the truth is that they are more difficult to find than their active counterparts. Some say that they are resistant to change.
Passive candidates are generally more difficult to source because they are already employed and require a combination of factors for them to leave their current roles. Aside from that, passive candidates will only leave their work if the price is right. Top candidates would usually demand a premium raise of 20% – 30% of their current salary. In addition, sourcing passive candidates may take longer.
Unlike active candidates, passive candidates are not in a hurry to find a job since they already have one. They make decisions that are career-oriented rather than on the basis of necessity. They take time in making decisions and are well-informed. Most of the time, passive candidates are happy with their new jobs and are willing to stay longer. Finally, 75% of passive candidates research before applying for a job.
4. AI Will Replace Human Recruiters In The Future
In today’s digital age, artificial intelligence is slowly becoming more common in the recruitment process. Roughly 95% of HR experts are convinced that AI can greatly facilitate the application process for job seekers. This has resulted in an increase in the number of recruiters worrying that AI will soon replace them. In fact, 79% of recruiters believe that humans will stop participating in the recruitment process.
While AI technology has definitely changed the recruiting process, it is unlikely that it will completely replace human recruiters. Although automation has certainly handled time-consuming tasks like sourcing candidates and evaluating applicants, effective communication and emotional intelligence will always be integral to recruiting.
Artificial intelligence has helped humans leverage current applicant tracking systems, allowing them to hire faster, shortlist applicants correctly, and screen resumes more fairly. Finding top talents will depend on a recruiter’s ability to intelligently automate their workflow and unearth insights into their talent pool.
5. The Job Ad Is All That Matters
Posting a job advertisement is crucial to the recruitment process but it is not the only thing that matters. As a recruiter, you should also consider other sources such as professional networks, employee referrals, and job boards to search for qualified candidates. You can reach a wider audience if you post on different channels.
Job advertisements are only designed to inform potential candidates about a new opening and attract them to apply. A well-crafted job advertisement will target and attract the perfect candidate. You cannot just create an endless list of requirements or use a previous job advertisement for a similar role. It is best that you only list down the requirements you actually need.
Also, the language that you use in your job advertisement matters a lot. Using what is referred to as “gendered language” can discourage potential candidates from applying if they see that it is leaning towards a certain gender. It is ideal that you use a neutrally worded description. Gendered language unintentionally signals belonging or not.
6. Select A Candidate Based Solely On Their Job Skills and Background
While selecting a candidate who possesses the right skills and experience is important, it is not the only factor you should be considering. Fitness to company culture is also important when choosing the right employee. For 46% of job seekers, company culture is an important factor in applying for a job. In addition, 94% of entrepreneurs and 88% of job seekers say that healthy company culture is vital for success.
While having the right skill set can have an impact on whether a candidate is a good fit or not, looking at the personality traits are also crucial. Skills can be acquired but personality is innate. During the selection process, ensure that the applicant’s personality traits are aligned with the daily job tasks. For instance, empathy may be an appropriate trait for a nurse or social worker more than it is for a tax attorney or computer programmer.
The skills of an applicant may be a good fit for a certain job depending on their personality trait. The kind of person you hire will depend on your company culture and the kind of job. Few jobs are done totally alone. However, there are still times when they will need to work together with teammates, especially for large and important projects. For this reason, you should hire an applicant who can work well with future teammates.
7. Employment History Is The Best Indicator of Quality
Work experience is not always a good indicator of how well an employee will thrive in a new organization. There is always an assumption that one’s employment background will help in acquiring knowledge and abilities. But this is not always the case because they do not always indicate the potential to perform effectively if hired.
While a study by Harvard Business Review revealed that 82% of businesses required or stated a strong preference for experience, there is no evidence that applicants with more experience will be better or stay longer in a company compared to those with less experience. Aside from that, experience is easy to assess but past performance and existing knowledge and skills are more difficult.
As a recruiter, you should verify the potential candidate’s employment history because it is not uncommon for people to embellish their qualifications or experience in order to make them look more qualified for a role than they are. In fact, a 2020 study revealed that 56% of respondents admitted to outright lying or stretching the truth on their resume. By conducting an employment history verification, you can be sure of the truthfulness of the candidate with the experience and skills they claim to have.
8. Recruiting Is Just Like Sales
In certain ways, it is because, like sales, recruitment also uses pipelines and funnels. It also involves chasing, calling, and pitching. The difference though is that recruiters do not sell candidates to organizations. Also, recruiters do not sell jobs to job seekers. In addition, neither candidates nor jobs are as marketable as objects.
This assumption that recruitment is just like sales is not only annoying but also wrong. It is annoying because it assumes that there is nothing unique or challenging about recruitment. At the same time, it also assumes that salespeople can easily pick up recruiting without learning anything new.
Although recruiters use selling techniques in doing their daily tasks, there is a huge difference between recruitment and straight sales. Just because someone had been successful in selling cars does not mean they can become successful in recruiting right away. Recruitment entails a lot of skills, competencies, and qualifications.
9. The Perfect Candidate Does Exist
Recruitment is not about finding the perfect candidate but about hiring the right person. If you are holding out for your dream candidate, then you’re going to wait a very long time. The notion of a “perfect candidate” is a subjective one because what may be “perfect” for one manager may be different for another.
Similar to the mythical creature “unicorn,” the ideal candidate is nearly impossible to attract and hire. It will be hard for recruiters to fill up positions in pursuit of these applicants. Most of the time, the job description indicated on the job advertisement yields a less-than-ideal candidate. Recruiters interview candidate after candidate only to reject them because they are not the perfect candidate they are looking for.
Instead of looking for the perfect candidate, focus on finding the right one. Recruiters should have an open mind and not get caught up in a set of qualifications that may disqualify a great new hire. Your job advertisement only has so much reach. The most talented and qualified individuals who fit a role may not even know it exists.
Let airisX Find The Right Candidate For Your Business
Recruiting new employees for your team is a notoriously time-consuming process. Hiring an external outsourcing provider like airisX allows you to remove yourself from the tediousness of having to go through hundreds of resumes and bad interviews to find the right candidate that meets the criteria of the employee you are looking for, allowing you to focus on what matters in the recruiting process – doing the final interview for the right candidate, and making the final hiring decision.
At airisX, our recruiting team has years of experience helping companies recruit and hire new talent. For any questions, email us at contact@airisx.com