3 Critical Mistakes All Hiring Managers Make When Looking to Fill-in Vacancies (And How to Fix Them)

As a hiring manager, it’s essential for you to find the right talent at the right time to fill vacancies in your organisation. Unfortunately, many hiring managers make critical mistakes that can lead to poor hiring decisions costing them time and money, ultimately affecting the company’s overall performance. 

Looking for the perfect candidate is like searching for a needle in a haystack – you may miss out on great potential hires if you don’t broaden your search.

Howard Schultz said it best – “Hiring people is an art, not a science, and resumes can’t tell you whether someone will fit into a company’s culture.”

Here, we’ll discuss three common mistakes that you make as a hiring manager and provide solutions to help you avoid them, including embracing contingent labour and temporary staff as valuable resources.

Let’s explore some of the most common mistakes that hiring managers make:

1. Relying Solely on Traditional Hiring Methods

Hiring managers completely rely on traditional hiring methods, such as posting job ads, working with different recruiters, and relying on referrals, which can be time-consuming and costly. Moreover, these methods may not promise you to give the results in finding the best candidates for your organisation, as they may not adequately capture the skills and experience you are looking to perform the job.

The solution to this is to embrace contingent labour and temporary staff.

To overcome this challenge, consider incorporating contingent labour and temporary staff into your hiring strategy. This approach allows you to access a broader talent pool, quickly identify qualified candidates, and bring in the expertise needed on a project basis. Furthermore, it enables you to test the waters with potential employees before making a long-term commitment, reducing the risks associated with hiring full-time employees.

2. Ignoring Cultural Fit and Soft Skills

While we all know that technical skills and experience are undoubtedly essential, it’s crucial not to overlook the importance of cultural fit and soft skills. A candidate who doesn’t align with your company’s culture or lacks the necessary communication and teamwork skills may struggle to succeed within the organisation.

The solution for this will be assessing the candidates on both hard and soft skills.

To avoid this mistake, ensure that your hiring process evaluates candidates on both hard and soft skills. Incorporate behavioural interview questions and personality assessments to help you gauge their cultural fit and soft skills, alongside traditional assessments of technical abilities. This will ensure that the selected candidates are well-versed in both hard and soft skills. 

3. Rushing the Hiring Process

When vacancies remain unfilled for too long, it can put pressure on hiring managers to fill them quickly. However, rushing the hiring process can lead to flawed hiring decisions and increased employee turnover. There can be many other consequences if you rush your hiring process.

A solution for this can ‌be to implement a structured hiring process with contingencies.

To counteract this issue, develop a structured hiring process that includes contingencies for temporary or contingent staff in your organisation. This approach will help you maintain productivity while taking the time to find the right candidate for the role. Additionally, contingent labour can provide valuable insights into the skills and experience required for the position, helping you make better hiring decisions in the long run.

The Benefits of Contingent Labour and Temporary Staff

1. Flexibility

One of the prime advantages of using contingent labour and temporary staff is the flexibility it offers. You can quickly scale your workforce up or down to meet the changing needs of your business or organisation. This agility helps you stay competitive and responsive to market demands and it definitely helps you ‌stand out from the crowd.

Let’s consider an example. You own a retail company that needs extra staff during the holiday season to handle the increased demand for the products. By hiring temporary staff, you can easily scale up your workforce to meet ‌seasonal demand and then scale back down when the season is over.

2. Cost-effectiveness

Hiring contingent workers can be more cost-effective than hiring full-time employees, especially when you need specialised skills for a limited time. You can save on costs associated with benefits, training, and long-term commitments. Additionally, you can tap into a larger talent pool without having to invest in the recruitment and retention of full-time staff.

Imagine this: A software development company needs a data analyst for a short-term project. Rather than hiring a full-time employee, which would require the company to provide benefits and invest in training and also provide a long-term commitment to this candidate, they hire a contingent worker with the specific skills they need for the project. This saves the company money and resources.

3. Access to Specialised Talent

Contingent labour and temporary staff can provide your organisation with access to specialised talent that may be difficult to find or afford otherwise. By leveraging this flexible workforce, you can bring in the expertise needed for specific projects or initiatives, ensuring your organisation stays at the forefront of industry trends.

For example, you own a marketing agency that wants to offer its clients some cutting-edge social media marketing campaigns. However, you do not have an in-house social media specialist. By hiring a temporary staff member with social media expertise, your agency gains access to specialised talent without having to make a long-term commitment to a full-time employee.

Wrapping Up

As hiring managers you need to be aware of the critical mistakes you might make when looking to fill vacancies, including relying solely on traditional methods, ignoring cultural fit and soft skills, and rushing the hiring process. By embracing contingent labour and temporary staff, assessing candidates on both hard and soft skills, and implementing a structured hiring process with contingencies, you can avoid these pitfalls and improve the overall success of your hiring efforts.
We can help you with filling up your job requirements with Contingent labourers or temporary staff with Agency Connect. Find out more.