What You’re Doing Wrong When Hiring New Staff

While most hiring staff want adaptable, resilient and courageous new employees, hiring trends tell a different story about who is being hired. Despite the need for open-minded and flexible candidates who can keep up with ever-changing roles and technologies, HR still focuses on specialisations and experience. The nature of job roles has changed, and it’s time for hiring habits to catch up with them. Read on to discover what you’re doing wrong when hiring new staff, and how to hire better.

Focusing on skills and experience

Hiring managers put undue emphasis on skills and experience, typically by having a long list of must-haves along with their job roles. But by limiting their possible candidates with these strict guidelines, they are also limiting the number of candidates that are able to upskill, adapt and innovate within their role.

• What to do instead

When hiring new staff, reconsider your must-haves and change as many as possible into nice-to-haves. You’re better off choosing a candidate who can learn new skills and technologies rather than someone who is set in their ways.

Picturing the perfect candidate

Similar to the above, hiring staff are often on the hunt for something specific, like a candidate with “building experience in Melbourne”. In having such a specific set of requirements, they won’t look at candidates outside of the building sector, and filter out a lot of great candidates who could have equivalent skills and experience.

• What to do instead

Consider that an “imperfect” candidate may actually be perfect for your role. Candidates from the mining or civil industries could have just the right skills and experience for a role in the building sector.

Relying too much on resume, interview and references

A candidate’s resume and cover letter is going to reflect the typical expectations of your role, again, prioritising skills, experience and education over the ability to adapt and grow. If you’re relying on resumes, interviews and references, you’re not gaining a good understanding of your candidate’s ability to innovate within your role.

• What to do instead

Incorporate a psychometric assessment into your hiring process. This will help you find candidates who indicate an adaptable approach to work and open-mindedness.

Thinking too narrowly about the role

Ending up with employees who are not adaptable can be a direct result of the company’s perception of that role. Hiring managers need to ask themselves how important today’s must-have qualities will be in five or ten years’ time, and look for someone who will take the role into the future.

• What to do instead

Another way to think about how you hire new staff is by shifting your attention away from the candidate and taking another look at the role. Consider how the requirements for that role might change in the future, and redefine what’s important in your candidates.

Not taking an organisation-wide approach

Try mapping talent analytics across your organisation what your staff are capable of now and what skills will be required in the short-to-medium term. Take these insights with you when you hire new staff.

• What to do instead 

  Try mapping talent analytics across your organisation what your staff are capable of now and what skills will be required in the short-to-medium term. Take these insights with you when you hire new staff.

Need better candidates for your roles? Read about our process for hiring great staff.