Today I want to go over a few common mistakes that companies and hiring authorities often make in the later stages of the interview process.
1. A slow process. Recruiting firms often say that time kills all deals. When it comes to recruiting, you need to get to the offer stage within two to four business days after the final interview. One to two weeks or more is way too long. Too many things can come into play and kill the deal.
2. Playing the “lowball game.” There are companies out there who just want to tempt fate and come in low. Maybe this is just a strategy, and they believe that people are going to come back with a counteroffer. But I think it’s bad policy to lowball a candidate. Come in with your best, strongest, and final offer first.
3. Putting all your eggs in one basket. Too many companies and hiring managers are doing this. You need three to be five strong candidates in play. Just because you think you may have found the right person, you can’t focus all the energy on a single potential candidate. Healthy competition is good. It’s good for other candidates to know they aren’t the only one in play.
Healthy competition is good.
4. Not knowing and validating the key numbers. If you’re using a search firm, you should know their base salary, target bonus, and information about their W-2. You should validate all of these things throughout the interview process.
5. Not selling the succession plan. You need to show candidates where they can be three to five years from now. What are the extra things that make it great to work with your company? Really aim to show candidates the total package.
I hope this will help you tidy up the recruiting process. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
