Interviewing death cycle
It’s week 6 of my client’s hunt for a new employee. We have sent over 3 qualified individuals and have had 2 fall through at the last minute as the client didn’t want to hold up their end of certain promises. (Apprenticeships) the last walked away because they were too intimidated.
So I was stuck, between a rock and a hard place. Yes, this job requires a VERY specific skill set. This was hunting for the alleged unicorn of candidates but It came to my attention later that this company had been looking for OVER A YEAR.
Something was wrong. It wasn’t the candidates, it was them.
They had gotten themselves into the never ending interview cycle.
That is where you have no plan, no guideline and are literally changing your mind and job descriptions so often one can’t possible conjure up the candidate you’re dreaming. You engage each candidate in the best manner, but there is no follow up schedule and so you lose more in the process.
From what I could tell, this company had interviewed over 20 candidates in a 6 month period and hadn’t made up their mind.
No, another recruitment firm would not be the fix for them, but it was the fix they sought after.
Sometimes, the candidate you are searching for doesn’t exist. This is happening so often with today’s skills deficit and studies show that this will only get worse, with the skills becoming more and more scarce to find. With any change you either adapt to it or grind against it. The latter being largely unsuccessful in today’s employment market.
Not finding and placing the right candidate can be frustrating to the staff currently employed at your company. Taking too much time to decide becomes annoying to the candidates your interviewing. Also when your job ad is up too long or too often, it leaves the impression you are a revolving door of hired and fired individuals.
This is so costly! At the end of it all, it sums up to time. The most valuable commodity in any workplace. And when you have a time deficit there is maximum potential for lost clientele and other employees.
So where was the fix? Simple. It’s all in the recruitment plan. You wouldn’t start a business without a business plan, so why would you try to hire for your business without a recruitment plan?
Next time you have a job role to fill, take a look at your timeline and HAVE A PLAN. Everyone, including yourself, will thank you.
Do you have a go to recruitment plan? Share in the comments below!
As always thanks for reading and talk soon!!