A lot has already been written and said about recruitment. Although it has changed over the years, there are still mistakes that affect the recruitment process, cause frustration and often end with unfulfilled expectations for both sides, the candidate and HR department. Can we avoid these mistakes? Maybe a small change will let each party look back at this period of job searching with a smile on their faces? We need to remember that apart from the solid employer’s brand, we should also take care of our own brand, as we only get one chance to make a good first impression.

Recruitment faux-pas from behind the scenes

The recruitment process is an introduction to a company that will place it in certain light and allows the candidate to formulate their opinion on a future cooperation. For this reason, if the recruitment process is inconsistent or not adjusted to the candidate, we can find it troublesome to select an appropriate person for the recruitment process.

If you want to be more effective – PLEASE DON’T DO THE FOLLOWING…. 

1. Mess up the advertisement

Recruitment ads are aimed at showing what the company offers, and to assure the candidate that their professional profile fits into the company’s expectations, or not. If an ad is inconsistent or has an inadequate description in relation to expectations, it is possible that applications won’t meet the profile or the flow will be unsatisfying.    

It is important that adds contain: 

• A properly-defined position name,
• Any additional and essential information, i.e. working time, location, mode of work, position, level, 
• Required qualifications – candidates like to know from the beginning whether they fit into the position profile. The more details we provide, the better.
  We should bear in mind that we are not looking for a unicorn that can do everything 🙂 If some qualifications are “welcomed” yet not obligatory, write this loudly and clearly in the ad  
• The scope of potential duties – it’s good to know what is expected, isn’t it? 5-6 points will be enough to begin with and will give candidates a sense of understanding of the role. They will be able to evaluate at what stage of development a given project or position is.  

In the case of IT ads, it’s worth remembering about:

• Tech Stack in a given project. We all know that interesting technologies rule the world! Let’s show them to your candidates-to-be  
• Salary brackets – we personally do not imagine an ad without the brackets offered. What does it give us? A proper selection of people to whom we can offer a satisfying job.  

2. Be ignorant

HR departments require that candidates are properly prepared for a job interview and adequately engaged in the recruitment process. It sometimes happens, however, that a recruiter has no idea about the position they are recruiting for, or in the case of IT recruitment, they mix up such notions as JavaScript and Java. It is well known that recruiters conducting a plethora of recruitment processes will not have as much knowledge of the specificity of the work at all positions as the worker. But if we want to make someone interested in a job, we should know who we are looking for and what expectations a new person will face.

This is why it is worth investing your time on a few most important issues:

• Familiarising yourself with a candidate’s CV and their professional experience
• Learning thoroughly about the project
• Obtaining essential useful information from a client, e.g. challenges of a project or a roadmap for the upcoming 6 months 

Remember! If you don’t know something – do not invent it. Tell a candidate at the very beginning that they will be able to ask questions regarding the project at the next stage of the recruitment (with a technical person) or you will consult these answers with the person in charge of the project. Don’t be afraid to communicate your lack of knowledge, there’s nothing wrong in this 🙂 Believe us – candidates will appreciate your honesty.  

3. Waste somebody’s time

Currently, candidates take part in many recruitment processes. Despite the crisis, the employee market is still operating, which means that quick action increases the chance for a positive outcome of the recruitment process. 

Let’s respect our and other people’s time. Extended recruitment processes that consist of 4-5 stages can definitely discourage future employees. “But we need to check them!” That’s right, but instead of extending the recruitment process, try to maximally optimise them. Choose appropriate people for conducting the process (preferably those engaged in the project), build a set of questions you want to ask candidates, and most importantly, prepare yourselves well. Candidates will appreciate the fact that you respect their time and will perceive you as business partners from the very beginning.

4. Forget about feedback

Feedback is a key factor in building a relationship with a candidate. Although the majority of us expect feedback in the recruitment process, not all companies apply this practice. This is important, as if you inform a candidate of the reasons why they haven’t received an offer from your company, they will appreciate this in the future.

Remember – don’t clip other people’s wings by saying “You have not met our expectations”. Say something more! The candidate will certainly welcome every piece of advice indicating what they can improve. Who knows? Maybe this person will come back to your recruitment process in 2-3 years? Leave a pleasant impression. 

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Recruitment faux pas by candidates: 

The decision to find a job is associated with great responsibility. This is a stressful moment for all candidates, regardless of their professional experience. It’s worth preparing for this.

Below is a list of the most common mistakes made during the recruitment process, and a collection of information on how you can get your dream job. 

1. Bad resumes

A resume is the first and often the only element that will present your value in the eyes of recruiters. Considering the fact that nowadays resumes are verified by ATSs, and recruiters devote an average of 7 seconds for the first verification, it is important that you write it correctly. You should avoid sending the same resume for many positions.   

Your resume should:

• Be adjusted to an ad and fit into a company’s profile  
• Have an appropriate format – PDF is the safest solution as you will be sure that your resume will not lose its professional layout
• Contain only headings with your recent positions and 2-3 sentences describing your duties and responsibilities in a given company. Your future employer will appreciate this!
• Be your own business card! – you have interesting skills, certificates or experience in working with fascinating technologies – don’t be ashamed to boast about these. It’s worth making the most important aspects bold to attract the attention
• Include contact details – sounds trivial, doesn’t it? We also thought so, but some people forget about obvious things like a phone number or correct email address

2. Lack of knowledge about a company

Prior to a job interview, it’s worth getting to know some information about your potential employer. During a job interview, showing that you have no idea about the company you are applying to or mixing up companies can be a sign that you don’t care about the offer. In the era of ubiquitous Internet and social media, finding information about a company will take you no more than 5 minutes. Look through its website, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and many others – the sky’s the limit!  

3. Motivation to work

Prior to a job interview, it’s good to think over your answer to the question regarding your motivation to change job. This is not about preparing original answers to questions, but it’s important that you know what matters to you at a new job and what factors have contributed to your decision to change job. This will allow a recruiter to determine if your expectations coincide with the offer. Most importantly, avoid the answer that your major motivation is money. There’s nothing wrong in mentioning a financial aspect, but providing this as your only motivation can be misunderstood. You think – why? The answer is simple – for fear that when you get a better financial offer from another company, you will decide to leave the company in a short time.

4. Wages

When asked about wages, candidates react in a variety of ways. Some definitely don’t want to talk about their expectations and ask for a suggestion of a financial offer. If you are one of these persons, remember to know what your financial expectations are (preferably defined in specific brackets). This will help you quickly verify if a given ad meets your needs. Don’t be afraid to ask about what the future company can offer and don’t limit yourself to the wages. Find out about the benefits of the company, possible pay raises and bonuses.

If a company provides salary brackets in an ad (which is sort of standard in the IT world), don’t apply if your expectations are much higher. Companies are often not able to increase salary brackets, so it’s important to not lose time for a completion that will not happen.  

5. No information about resignation

When we take part in recruitment, we rarely apply for one position. It often happens that one process ends while another is still waiting. In this situation, we need to decide if we want to wait for a decision for other companies or accept an offer of an employer whose reply was earlier. There is no one good answer to this question. If you decide to accept another offer, inform the other companies about this fact. This will save time, avoid unnecessary frustration and leave an open path for coming back to the recruitment process in the future. This is also the case in the event that for some reason you are not able to come to a recruitment meeting. Inform the recruiter/person you are in contact with about this fact and ask for another date.

6. False information in a resume

False information in a resume or untrue answers during a job interview can result in rejecting your application. This pertains to knowledge of particular technologies and your proficiency level at foreign languages, years of experience and scope of duties. Recruiters or managers can verify whether the information in your resume is true on the basis of questions they ask. For this reason, it’s not worth including false information. Be yourself!   

7. Negative opinion about previous employers

Not every job is a “dream” one. It sometimes happens that despite a good first impression, it turns out that the organisational culture, the project or the workmates don’t quite suit. Your frustration is then justified, but it’s worth limiting the amount of criticism about your former employer. You never know if your potential employer knows your ex-boss. This world is really small, believe us 🙂  

Undoubtedly, a job interview is one of the most stressful moments in a career, regardless of your professional experience. It’s worth devoting time to prepare, which will help you control your emotions and avoid mistakes. Most importantly, you should remember that we all can make mistakes and we should be more understanding. A recruiter is not your enemy, and vice versa. Your objectives are the same. To get a job and give a job. You want to hold a certain position, and the recruiter wants to find the best candidate for that position. Help each other to go through the recruitment process smoothly 😉 Don’t forget to visit our careers page for open positions!