Six mistakes companies make when hiring and what to do instead

By Jennifer Barnes, CEO of Optima Office, a company that provides fractional financial directors, chief operating officers, controllers and human resources professionals for companies.

Even the most successful business ventures don't always get it right when hiring new talent. Since so much money needs to be invested in recruiting new employees, the hiring process, and onboarding those new hires, you need to make sure you don't make costly mistakes. Below are some of the most common mistakes companies make during the hiring process and ways to avoid them.

Hire one person to fill multiple roles

Companies can make the mistake of hiring one person to perform too many functions, many of which are outside of their skill set. If you have multiple roles that don't require a full-time position, consider outsourcing the work instead. For example, if you hire an accountant but also ask them to do controller work, you might consider outsourcing those roles. The same goes for hiring an entry-level IT professional and trusting them to do cybersecurity work. This sets them up for failure and could hurt your business.

Rush through the recruiting process

Often, when a key employee leaves the company, planned hiring protocols can be compromised in an effort to fill the vacancy as quickly as possible. Each time a vital person to the business leaves, their workload shifts to the remaining employees, who are then overburdened until a new person is hired. There may also be a drop in overall productivity because things don't work as well with the departure of a key person. This sometimes causes hiring managers to ignore red flags or completely ignore important parts of the hiring process.

Even if it causes difficulty or inconvenience to your staff members, you should follow the routines and protocols established by your company to find the right new recruit. It'll probably take longer to do a thorough job, but ultimately you'll have a much better chance of finding someone who fits well into your company culture and has all the skills and talents required. to be successful in your workplace. .

Create vague job descriptions

Any time you don't clearly specify job duties and responsibilities, it can lead to misunderstandings, disappointed new hires, and unrealistic expectations for everyone involved. If you fail to accurately describe the job duties, you risk misleading candidates and costing your company time and money. You can also attract candidates who don't have the skills to do the job you have in mind. At the very least, it will slow down the recruiting and hiring process, as you will have to weed out those who don't have the necessary skills. This can extend the time your current employees have to deal with a missing person's caseload.

Be sure to write a complete and accurate job description so that all potential candidates understand what skills and knowledge will be needed. Be specific about any responsibilities you will need a new hire to fulfill. It's a good idea to include the soft skills a candidate will need for this position, such as leadership or communication styles. Talking about your culture and how the person can best fit into the company can also help you attract the right person.

Not checking references

This can be a big mistake because checking references lets you know how a candidate has fared in other similar positions. Granted, most candidates will provide references that are favorable to them, but once you start talking with a former supervisor or colleague, you can usually find important information about a person's work habits, personality and background. ability to work with teammates. Be specific with the candidate as to who, at what company, you want to speak to if they are applying for a management position. You don't necessarily want to talk only about the references they...