Is Your Hiring Wish List too Long?

When you set out to make a list of the skills and qualities you want in your next employee, it can feel helpful to get specific. But once your list starts getting too long, you’ve gone beyond helpful and wandered into dangerous territory. The longer your hiring wish list is, the more unrealistic it is, and the more difficult it can be to find a candidate to fit it. Most importantly, it will drag out your hiring process, adding significant time and costs. Here are several ways to develop more reasonable expectations for your next hire:

Make a list of what you need.

Remember the lesson in grade school about the difference between needs and wants? This is a great time to revisit that. If you’re hiring for an information technology position, for example, you need someone who can read and write code. You probably don’t need someone who can assist your sales team and attend sales meetings. Take a good look at your wish list and cross off the things that are just wants, because they’re making your hiring harder.

Rewrite your job listing.

Now that you’ve taken a good look at what the real requirements of your open position are, use this knowledge to rewrite your job posting. Asking for too much will scare good candidates away. If they see they need three years of experience and they only have one, they will close your website and move on to the next company. Resist the temptation to pad your job listing with jargon like “detail-oriented” and “team player,” and instead stick to the facts. During the interview process you will be able to identify candidates with these competencies, so it isn’t necessary to include it as a part of the job description.

Consider hiring someone less experienced.

You may feel you need someone with five to ten years of work experience, but unless you’re hiring for a senior position, you can usually train someone less experienced. Rather than holding out for a perfectly qualified candidate, you can hire a competent person and put them to work right away, training them as they go. Hiring someone less experienced will also save you money, as you can adjust their salary to their skill level.

Do you need more help with your hiring process? At Contemporary Staffing Solutions, we have staffing specialists that can work with your company to find you a great new employee from our pool of qualified candidates. Get in touch with us today!