candidate skills – BC Jobs Blog https://www.bcjobs.ca/blog BCjobs Blog Tue, 20 Jun 2023 01:48:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.9 Top Tips on How to Avoid the Cost of Bad Hires https://www.bcjobs.ca/blog/top-tips-to-avoid-the-cost-of-bad-hires/ Tue, 20 Jun 2023 01:48:55 +0000 https://www.bcjobs.ca/blog/?p=8895 Quite often, businesses suffer from the financial aspects of hiring the wrong candidate. While a bad hire might entail many factors, the primary cause is the inability of the candidate to align with the company’s culture, due to personality traits, for instance. Whatever the case, it brings several losses to companies and thus is a […]

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Quite often, businesses suffer from the financial aspects of hiring the wrong candidate. While a bad hire might entail many factors, the primary cause is the inability of the candidate to align with the company’s culture, due to personality traits, for instance. Whatever the case, it brings several losses to companies and thus is a serious problem to ponder.

Top Tips on How to Avoid the Cost of Bad Hires

As an HR manager, you would certainly not wish to waste your valuable time and money only to end up in a bad hire. To avoid the financial implications and other losses that come with bad hiring, read through and check out the points to include in your hiring process if not done so far.

What is a bad hire?

In the human resources arena, a bad hire could include anyone but not limited to:

  • Not a perfect match to the job description
  • Misleads the hiring team by providing false data about one’s experience etc., in interviews
  • Lacks the potential to grow and develop the skills needed on the job
  • Showcases inappropriate behaviors like gossiping, bullying co-workers, and such

While these are some of the general attributes defining a bad hire, it could even be someone excellent in skills and who performed well in interviews but lacks the personality traits to gel well in a strong work culture.

Research indicates that the average cost of making a bad hiring decision is at least 30% of the individual’s first-year expected earnings.

Lack of productivity, dissatisfied customers, and damage to the company’s reputation are just some penalties resulting from a bad hire.

Top tips to avoid the cost of bad hires

Consider looking at the larger picture

Study the trends of hired candidates in your organization across various levels and check the percentage of bad hires. A couple or so would not lead to any solid conclusion. However, if you have significantly experienced bad hires, that may flag some shortcomings in your hiring processes. Besides, do look into the engagement levels of employees and if they are aligned with your company culture.

Focus your strategies on hiring the best fit, aligned with the culture 

Don’t get carried away only by the skill sets or professional qualifications on a candidate’s resume. While hiring, you need to focus on their future growth potential and not just meet today’s needs. Check the motivation levels, enthusiasm, and outlook of the candidate before you arrive at a decision. 

Be Clear on the Job Description and the Desired candidate

Quite often, employers end up wasting a lot of time and effort on screening thousands of profiles as most of them don’t match the requirements of the job. A primary reason is the unclear or ambiguous job description. Make sure to create a clear and crisp job description outlining what qualifications, experience, skill sets, certifications, etc., are expected from the incumbent.

Perform a rigorous screening and selection process

Different jobs demand different skills from the applicants. That said, to avoid the cost of bad hires, employers must resort to multiple tests, assessments, and interviews to thoroughly assess the potential candidate’s abilities. Adopting a laid-back attitude towards conducting interviews or screening procedures could prove costly later.

Conduct third-party background checks and collect references

Background checks carried out by professional vendors hired by the companies are the norm. These vendors collect all information on the potential candidate, including their personal details, education, work history, criminal checks, drug testing, and more. Besides, employers must collect details of the professional references of the applicant and speak to them before confirming the candidature.

Conclusion

The cost of bad hires could lead to considerable losses to the company as a whole. Check out the pointers outlined here and find the ideal fit for a job role.


About the Author

 BCjobs.ca is Western Canada’s largest job board, with majority of the jobs coming from Vancouver. For nearly 20 years, BC Jobs has connected job candidates with companies looking to add talent to their team. Here at BCJobs, we understand that looking for a job is difficult. To support our candidates, we recently launched a podcast to help you stand out during your job application. Listen to weekly episodes on our podcast to hear what recruiters are thinking and what companies look for when considering their next hire.  

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5 Signs You Might Be A Star Candidate https://www.bcjobs.ca/blog/5-signs-you-might-be-a-star-candidate/ Tue, 05 May 2020 18:08:22 +0000 https://www.bcjobs.ca/blog/?p=7231 Looking for a job can be one of the most stressful experiences of your life. Often, part of the stress is not knowing whether you’re moving on to the next hiring phase – or if a recruiter even likes you. To help ease that stress we’ve put together some signs that you may be exactly […]

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Looking for a job can be one of the most stressful experiences of your life. Often, part of the stress is not knowing whether you’re moving on to the next hiring phase – or if a recruiter even likes you. To help ease that stress we’ve put together some signs that you may be exactly what a recruiter is analyzing when you are looking for a job.

1- The company performs for you.

The best sign you will ever receive is if the company is persuading you to work for them. Performance tactics include scheduling interviews around your availability, introducing you to staff members, and spending some time explaining the perks of the job.

This often ends up feeling as if you are interviewing the company, and they are putting their best foot forward. You’re often a cinch for the job if this is a major theme throughout your interactions.

2- Communication is clear and timely.

If you’ve had great communication and a hiring process that hasn’t been dragging out for weeks on end, this is a good sign you’re doing well. If there are repeatedly ‘missed’ emails, or an interview ends with: ‘we’ll be in touch soon’, start looking elsewhere. You want to hear specifics and timelines as these suggest commitment.

When a recruiter is vague – there’s a reason for it. Companies hire recruiters specifically for their ability to collect and bring on talent. If a recruiter is being noncommital, it’s not a good sign. Don’t be afraid to ask for more straightforward communication, just don’t be pushy.

3- You’ve got the skills on paper – and references to back you up.

If you don’t slay the interview, there’s still hope. While recruiters know that interview nerves can set in if your paper skills are good enough they will get in touch with your references. This allows the recruiter to get a sense of what working with you is like.

If you know your references will praise you honestly and speak to qualities that the recruiter is looking for, be happy. Many candidates don’t have honest resumes, let alone references who will support them.

4- You have relevant skills outside the required qualifications.

One of the best signs for a star candidate is someone who meets the basic requirements and then some. You will be a great asset to any job if you can provide creative or insightful perspectives. Be able to speak concisely about your basic and bonus abilities.

This will come across as intriguing and refreshing, making you stand out. Just make sure that your outside skills are truly relevant to the position!

5- You’ve shown passion and initiative.

Wowing your recruiter can take some serious effort, especially if they’ve been slogging through a day of disappointing interviews.

Start out with a big smile and don’t let your energy flag during the interview or follow-up conversations. Stay positive and keen – even if you have to ham it up a bit. If you can accomplish this during the hiring process, it will be helpful to your candidacy.

If you experience some, or all, of these signs, stay connected with the recruiter. If these signs are absent from your interviewing process, it may be time to look for somewhere you can clearly shine.


About the Author

Simon Chou is the Vice President of Operations and Growth at BCjobs.ca. Over the course of his career, he carved a niche in brand development,  marketing strategy, and online presence for startups. Prior to BC Jobs, he served as a marketing advisor for high-profile blockchain projects including Litecoin, NEM and Ripple. He’s also worked with fortune 500 companies in the healthcare space.

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