Problems in Recruitment and Selection

Recruitment and selection are critical human resources functions for your small business. Hiring the right employees for your business can positively affect your turnover rate, company culture, production and bottom-line profit. Avoiding some of the common problems experienced by businesses as they recruit and select employees improves your chances of success.

One of the most serious problems in recruitment is not knowing the nature of the position for which you are hiring. Your company should routinely conduct a job analysis for each position and create a complete, accurate description of the function and tasks. Job roles evolve over time, so the current requirements of a position might need to be formally updated. Without a job analysis, your job posting might not accurately reflect the skills and traits required, and your selection tools might not accurately assess candidates.

Even with an awareness of a job's purpose, you can have misalignment in the job description and selection tools used for recruitment and selection. Hiring managers or committees need to take time, often in conjunction with human resources specialists, to develop job descriptions and interview questions in tune with the position. This often involves meeting prior to a job posting, during which you discuss the job and qualifications, and outline recruiting and selection materials.

During the selection process, a hiring manager might become too enamored with a singular quality or talent he expects of a candidate. This can limit his focus when looking over applications and resumes, and conducting interviews. If a current employee in a service job, for instance, has lacked a positive attitude, the manager might place too much emphasis on this trait among candidates for the next hire. While a positive attitude is beneficial in a service job, the best candidate also normally needs to be patient, competent and able to communicate well.

Generally, employers have two different strategies to choose from in hiring: You can look to get the most talented people possible and build a company around them, or you hire employees who not only meet the talent needs of a position, but also fit well within the business culture. Objective screening tools usually offer more insight into a candidate's skills and experiences to perform the job. The indirect qualities, such as friendliness, communication skills and interpersonal skills, require some interviewer observation. Someone with loads of talent might negatively affect your work culture if he doesn't have the attitude and personal qualities to blend well with other employees.