It pains me to stand by and watch others continuously try to fill the same jobs day in and day out. I’ve reached the point where I can no longer sit back and be silent. Here are ten reasons you can’t fill jobs, and what you can do to change this.
- Your expectations are ridiculous. Requiring administrative personnel, such as receptionists and executive assistants, to have degrees is just plain stupid. It’s difficult enough to find good administrative help. Why make it harder? When setting qualifications, be reasonable and realistic.
- You’re stuck in a time warp. Requiring a specific SAT score in order for a candidate to be considered for a job (true story) gets a failing grade in my book. I know a lot of smart people who received low performance grades at work. Focus on what matters most — potential.
- You’re not that impressive. Sorry to be the one that has to tell you this, but when I go to your website, you don’t appear all that impressive. Your website is all about you, and speaks nothing to me. You can change this. Call today for a consultation, and we’ll have you looking really good in no time.
- You had me at hello, and lost me at, “Can you hang on a minute while I answer this call?” Your hiring managers are repelling candidates. It’s not entirely their fault. Be sure everyone involved in your hiring process knows the importance of making a good impression. Train them to turn candidates on, rather than off.
- Your reputation proceeds you…and not in a good way. I recently presented a webinar for Glassdoor titled, 3 Reasons Why CEOs Can’t Ignore Glassdoor, and was surprised to learn how few executives know about this site. Glassdoor is a transparent community where employees and former employees anonymously review companies and their management. Don’t get caught off guard. Manage the reputation of your employment brand. It’s all you’ve really got.
- You’re taking too long to hire. I recently bought a home in a very hot real estate market. I had to develop a strategy to circumvent the bidding wars that were going on all around me. You must do the same. What can you do differently in your hiring process that will allow you to be more nimble and avoid the craziness of a hot job market?
- You appear to always be hiring. You haven’t figured out how to take those filled job openings off your website. You think that’s a good thing when someone leaves again. Perhaps not, as your company appears to be a revolving door. Assign someone to manage the job openings on your website and be sure to remove jobs as soon as they are filled.
- You are refusing to pay agency fees. Well good for you! That leaves more of the recruiter’s time for those willing to invest in hiring the right people, some of whom may be working for you right now.
- Talent isn’t a priority for you. If it were a priority, you’d be on the hunt every day for people who would be a good fit for your organization.
- You are overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin. You are not alone. Hiring the right people for your firm requires considerable thought. Of course being paralyzed and doing nothing to advance your cause isn’t very helpful either. Begin by picking up the phone and asking for help. I promise you’ll be glad you did.
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