The biggest mistakes hiring managers make

from the other side of the table.

I’ve been looking for work for a while now. Yes, I’m picky – I don’t apply to just any role at any place. My sights are realistic, I have the experience to back it up, but I seem to be hitting a brick wall far too often: the hiring manager.

I understand that you have things that are important to you and the company you keep, but let me tell you a bit about the view from the other side of the table.

Your job description… stinks.

You want to synergize outbound strategic marketing initiatives with a dedicated delegation of industry-leading invigoration!

O-kay… so what does that have to do with this position? Getting a solid list of requirements from the actual development team is more important than coming up with buzz words or copy and pasting the same generic job description that the rest of the companies that “can’t seem to find good developers” are using.

Technology – especially web technology – is largely diverse and changes often. It signals that you’re not exactly sure what skills an employee will need to do this job correctly. You may get more applicants, but you’re really only looking for one – the one you need to hire.

You’re screening out, not in.

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You’re not actually looking for the best candidate.

Soft skills are important, I’ll agree. Basing your decision to even evaluate a candidates qualifications based on soft skills, however, is absolutely asinine.

You’re in a unique position as a hiring manager. You have the power the power to give someone a job, and you know they want one. Don’t let your ego get the better of you.

At the end of the day, business is about results. If you’re missing out on the best candidate because you didn’t like their tie, or that they take a longer than average pause before they speak, you aren’t doing your company any favors.

You’re asking the wrong questions.

The problem with the standard “tell me about yourself” and “what’s your biggest weakness?” is that these questions are a waste of your time, and the applicants time.

Any seasoned applicant has this answer queued up and ready to go, wording it to be exactly what you wanted to hear (whether it’s true or not). A rusty or inexperienced applicant may completely blunder their answer, distracting them as they continue the interview thinking the job is already lost.

Questions like this do not tell you anything about how right the candidate is for the position. Instead, ask hard questions that relate to this specific position. You’ll get a better feel for how well the person can actually do the job, and they’ll appreciate that you took the time to actually care about finding the best fit.

You’re trying to sell to me.

I get it, it’s a 2 way street. I don’t want to lose the life part of my work-life balance due to mismanagement or work in a place where everyone just walks around with a sour look all the time.

Telling me you’re a fun company tells me you probably aren’t. Telling me you have the best people is probably a straight out lie. Jill’s probably a bit of a witch and Jerry steals peoples lunches out of the fridge – but no one can prove it.

I’m trying to sell myself to you. That’s why we’re here – I’m looking to sell, you’re looking to buy. It’s okay to brag a little if you really have built a wonderful place to work. That’s a plus. Constantly reminding me that you have “Nerf wars” or “a lot of interactions outside the office” (it’s not mandatory, but if you could just do that for me I’d really appreciated it. K? mm Thanks.)

So there you have it, the 5 biggest mistakes hiring managers make – written by someone on the other side of the table. I tell you no lies when I say the hiring process is a broken one at a lot of places. To those of you that take the time to treat potential employees with professionalism and scout for the best talent – I sincerely thank you.

As for the rest of you…

Remember that we job seekers are people too. Apply the same standards you do to us to yourself, and you’ll find that perfect candidate in no time!

Be on time, be courteous, and try to be prepared with good questions and answers. There’s nothing more frustrating to a job seeker than preparing for an interview just to find out this is the first time you’ve even looked at their resume. It’s easy to feel superior with plenty of people minding their P’s and Q’s around you, hoping you’ll give them the job if they’re suuuuper nice. Just because someone is good at interviewing doesn’t automatically mean they can do what your company need them to do. Poor interview skills should not be the exclusion criteria in your hiring process.