Adding someone new to your team can get risky and expensive, especially if you’re growing a new business, or if you’re still recovering from Covid-19’s effects on the economy.We technically spend more hours interacting with the people we work with than we do our family. You’re not just asking for an employee, you’re asking someone to become a constant in your life. That means you should definitely be spending more than just 15 minutes figuring out who to hire.

1. Recruiting new people before pinpointing what your company actually needs

   With many companies having to do more with fewer resources, it may become insanely difficult to spend time evaluating what your next steps should be. Often, impatience drives businesses to hire a salesperson and ask them to sell a product that still has some chinks that need to be fixed. Sometimes, the best step forward is a step back. Once you have established what you need to convince your potential clients, understanding who you need to hire becomes easy.
   
   

2. Recruiting based on personal connection 

   The numbers draw a clear picture: If you want to avoid future problems, do not recruit someone for a new position just because they are family, close friends or have history with you. You’re not just putting yourself in a potentially awkward position should you have cause to fire them in the future, it’s also putting other coworkers in a tough spot. If a situation arises where the person you hired is doing a bad job, it’s unlikely coworkers will say this to you. That kind of blind spot can tank any team.
   
   It’s equally unwise to recruit people based on interviews and C.V’s alone, and you should definitely endeavor to actually meet a person a second time, in a more casual setting, before hiring them. 15 minutes is not enough to make a decision if you’re looking to hire them to work with you for the foreseeable future. Invite them for a coffee and a conversation!
   
   

3. Mishandling rejections and not supplying feedback 

   Be polite enough to take the time to give feedback to a rejected candidate, it can also benefit your recruitment process and employer brand. Remember that more so than any advert or article, what makes or breaks a brand is what people say about it.

Whether you’re looking for employment, or seeking to recruit, you can trust the team at Crossroads to give you the right directions. Drop us a message through our social channels, via email or find us on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Crossroads Consulting Ltd is a niche recruitment agency, providing staffing and HR consultancy services in the following specialised sectors: financial services, management, law and compliance, gaming and information technology.