Recruitment is an activity of strategic importance for the vast majority of companies. In several sectors of activity, the scarcity of quality candidates is an undeniable fact and, despite this, it is surprising to note that several companies have inadequate and totally counterproductive recruitment practices.
Some companies, through their recruitment practices, struggle more than others to attract candidates. Quebec is sparsely populated and despite the fact that the greater Montreal region has about 4 million people, it is quite easy to build an unenviable reputation.
Here are 7 unprofessional practices that should be avoided at all costs.
1. Systematically make salary offers under the basic requirements and conditions sought by candidates
Indeed, I always wonder why companies waste a lot of time meeting and evaluating candidates if, in the end, the idea is a salary and conditions much lower than what is sought by the candidate. It is better to focus on candidates with expectations corresponding to your financial capacity and your salary range.
2. Meet large numbers of candidates and never follow up on interviews.
Some employers have the annoying habit of never giving feedback to candidates who are not interviewed. Such a practice can be very harmful, particularly in the era of social networks and where the scarcity of labor seems to be a present situation in the medium or even long term. Indeed, it can take a long time to build a reputation as an employer of choice and doing so with potential candidates certainly does not have a positive effect on the reputation of an employer.
3. Have 2-line or 4-page job descriptions.
As a common expression in Quebec says, too much is like not enough. How do you think it is possible to give a fairly faithful idea of a position by summarizing it all in a small paragraph and thus hold the attention of the candidates? In the same vein, what good is it to detail all the small details of a post in a description of 4 pages when we know that the vast majority of people will find the analysis of such a description as being too long and complicated?
4. Having poor collaboration between your human resources department and internal applicants.
Indeed, it is not uncommon to find that the company's human resources are perceived as being a necessary evil rather than an important ally in recruitment. I have been able to observe on dozens of occasions significant disparities between the expectations of a department manager versus the candidate sought and the understanding that the human resources of the position to fill and of said manager's expectations have. Both parties would benefit from working hand in hand throughout the recruitment process (from writing the job description to the job offer to the candidate) to avoid misunderstandings and important wasted time.
5. Interview candidates to build your bank of potential candidates when you do not have specific positions to present to them
In recruitment “timing is everything” , I find it hard to understand why companies want to meet interview candidates when they have no job to fill. It seems obvious to me that such a practice is counterproductive. What are the chances that a qualified and quality candidate, met 9 months before for a fictitious position, will still be available and interested 9 months later? Since such chances are slim, why do some companies keep this practice?
6. Have job descriptions that change according to the mood of your department heads.
One week you meet interview technicians, the following week the manager changes his mind and prefers an engineer. A few weeks later, the candidate must have absolutely experience in the food sector and 10 days later, bilingualism is no longer required. During this time, you unnecessarily meet potential candidates with profiles that change according to the mood of the department head. Do you think I'm exaggerating here? I confirm that this is not at all the case. Again, here we are dealing with a practice that will not improve the reputation of your business. It is always wise to recruit with a job description that will be well defined, and this, from the start.
7. Do not be honest with applicants on the more negative aspects of your business.
You have just passed through a financially troubled period, following the loss of an important client, and had to lay off several employees. You had a plant manager with management practices from another era, which had the effect of generating a stratospheric turnover rate. It may be tempting to hide such information from potential candidates so as not to frighten them, but be aware that it always pays to be honest and transparent. What good is it to hire a candidate by not giving him all the information to see him leave, a few months later, once he has discovered the truth for himself.
