5 Tips for successful recruitment

Making a mistake happens to everyone, even the best. All HR professionals or HR directors have probably made a casting error at some point in their careers. Over time, we learn certain things to do or not to do before, during, and right after an interview. Here are some very concrete tips to help you make the right choice.

Tip 1: Prepare the ground

Preparation is the key to everything, in every field! Ask top athletes; they will tell you 😊.

For recruitment, it’s about preparing to convince the candidate but also ensuring they are a good fit for you. It’s a real game of tennis. Here are 5 tips to be well-prepared:

1. A detailed job posting

Sometimes misunderstandings occur because the job posting is not precise enough. Ensure you provide as much information as possible about the sought profile, the job content and scope of responsibilities, the level of responsibility, working conditions, and finally, the compensation offered. In this last part, make sure to highlight the extra-legal benefits and the work environment 😉.

2. Check References

What the Anglo-Saxons call a background check. Consider checking the candidate’s LinkedIn profile, researching their previous jobs, and even calling the references listed (former employers or colleagues).

3. Make a Good First Impression

Where does the candidate’s first impression begin? When they shake your hand? No, it starts as soon as they park and get out of their car (or get off the bus). Is the entrance of your building clean? Is the automatic door broken? Are there graffiti in the stairwell?

Also, make sure to inform your receptionist (if applicable) to warmly welcome the candidate. And prepare the meeting room in advance. You are likely the first face of the company the candidate will see, so having a sincere look and a smile is important.

4. Be Clear in Your Interview Invitation

Mention the type of interview it will be (with or without a test, formal or more conversational), the location, and the expected duration. My advice: tell them to expect 20 minutes, so you can cut it short quickly if the person isn’t suitable at first glance. And if it runs over, the candidate will be flattered.

5. Prepare Your Guidelines

Take the time to establish in advance the information you want to obtain during the interview and think about the questions that will help you get there. On the day of the interview, take 5 minutes before the candidate arrives to recall the candidate’s details and focus on the interview to be fully engaged.

Tip 2: Be attentive during the interview

The causes of a failed recruitment are numerous. We invite you to consider 5 important points for your next recruitment session.

1. A Stressful Situation

Sometimes we forget, but the interview can be a very stressful moment for any candidate. As a result, they may not perform optimally, may repeat themselves, or may stumble over their words, etc. Be forgiving 😉. On the other hand, some candidates are very good at selling themselves. They are in presentation mode and will likely recite their spiel with flair and enough conviction. It’s up to us to stay vigilant and not get swept away by others’ words.

2. Overemphasizing Hard Skills

We often talk about soft skills and hard skills (especially in this newsletter). Unless it’s a highly specific job, a casting error can sometimes be the result of placing too much importance on the CV. All the lines of experience demonstrating hard skills may be interesting, but the recruiter knows their company better than anyone (culture, values, colleagues…) and will know if the person will integrate well into the team and, in the absence of a specific hard skill, whether they have the capacity to acquire it through training, for example.

3. Proposing a Situational Task

Some companies use situational tasks in their recruitment process. On paper or physically. These collective or individual “role-plating” exercises can quickly reveal a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses.

4. The Halo Effect

Just like on a Tinder date, a good feeling can sometimes arise right from the start between a candidate and a recruiter. This is positive in itself. But… be careful to remain objective and neutral in your judgment of the candidate. Sometimes, and it’s human, we can get carried away and fall into the trap of our own expectations. This is known as the halo effect or contamination effect. It’s a cognitive bias that leads to selective perception of information that supports a first impression. We all know the saying, “he only sees what he wants to see.” And love, they say, “makes you blind.”

5. Be Honest

There’s no point in hiding the less attractive aspects inherent to the role or the company. State them frankly so the candidate knows exactly what they’re getting into and avoids any disillusionment. Of course, and even more importantly, emphasize the many advantages of working for you 😉.

6. Trust Your Instinct

Especially if you are hiring for your direct team. If your gut tells you no, it’s usually right.

For these two major steps (preparation and interview), one of the first options to consider is to enlist a specialized search firm. It’s likely the most efficient way to get a pre-selection of candidates. Don’t hesitate to inquire about their service costs and evaluate them against the price you are willing to assign to expertise and the time saved for you.

Tip 3: Onboarding, onboarding, onboarding 

So important, yet often neglected. Or left to the discretion of managers who don’t always take the time. Make sure to organize a proper onboarding process. What does it entail, actually? Welcoming the new candidate by presenting the company structure, introducing them to key people, showing where the cafeteria/toilets are located, having their PC/equipment set up, and ensuring their profile and access are ready, etc.

Tip 4: try boomerang employees

What if, for a vacant position, we called upon a former employee who has left? “Boomerang employees,” as they are termed, are becoming increasingly common.

The idea of bringing back a former employee is far from silly. The advantages are numerous. The person knows the company, the processes, and the organizational culture. They have learned new things outside, in addition to what they already knew. The survey also revealed that a better salary would encourage them to come back, while others are looking for a better company culture or more satisfactory work.

Tip 5: Salvage the situation 

When the casting error is confirmed, there are two possibilities. Either the employee leaves, or an attempt is made to rectify the error. This isn’t often the first option considered, but it is possible to turn things around. This option should only be considered if the candidate aligns with the company’s values and has potential.

So how? Here are two avenues for reflection:

1. Propose training

Some candidates might be “in the wrong role” for which they were hired but could thrive after some training. There is, of course, an additional cost and a delay before they are fully operational, but it’s a solution with several advantages. First, the cost will still be lower than if you had to restart a new recruitment process. Secondly, it demonstrates internally that the company is looking for solutions, which is good for the trust of other employees, and for the corporate image.

2. Propose a reassignment

There was certainly something in the initial recruitment process that tipped the balance in favor of the candidate. This demonstrates that the candidate has qualities. They may not be utilized in the most relevant way in the job they were hired for. However, they might be able to apply their strengths in another position. Therefore, some meetings may help find an alternative to ending the collaboration. Ultimately, in this case too, the desire to find a solution will be perceived positively internally.

The eyewatering cost of a failed recruitment 

The first negative consequence of a failed job interview is the economic cost of this casting error, but also the mental cost or image cost. More information on our blog.

There are, of course, direct costs (notice period, recruitment costs such as searching for a profile, and new searches for a replacement). But there are also indirect costs like integration, potential training, the increased workload for other employees, and of course, any potential loss of business.

Concretely, figures circulate. It is estimated that a casting error leads to a loss of 35,250 euros. An even higher bill for an executive (51,850 euros) or a member of management (151,700 euros).

And then there are also indirect non-financial costs. The mental cost, for example, for the person searching, who will have to go through this draining and time-consuming process again. And for the team that will have to pull together for a few more weeks or months. The image cost can also be troublesome. A company from which people regularly leave (or that fires employees because the new hire isn’t suitable) doesn’t have a good reputation.

An original job interview 

As mentioned, personality is probably the first criterion to be considered during a job interview. Don’t hesitate to ask disruptive questions to see how the candidate responds. Here are 4 questions we propose to ask the next time:

1. Can you explain Luxembourg politics to me as if I were a 10-year-old child?
2. What is your favorite food recipe? And why?
3. You are in charge of our next team-building outing; what do you propose?
4. What would be the title of the novel about your life?