Hiring a new employee requires time, money and energy. Even more, a company takes many risks every time they take on someone new, so it’s critical to avoid any preventable hiring mistakes. Recognize these common pitfalls so that you can learn how to design a successful hiring process.

1. Lack of regular communication with top candidates – Throughout the hiring process, you should be intentionally communicating with your top choices about where they stand. If a candidate thinks that he/she is not being seriously considered, they may move on to another company.
   
   
2. Ignoring resume red flags – Many employers do not know what warning signs to look for on their candidates’ resumes. Look out for red flags like regression in employment history, lack of customization to job description, and an indication that the candidate only “attended” a school rather than “attained” a degree.
   
   
3. Weak interview techniques – Do not overly focus on personality. Personality is important, especially in healthcare, but having a good bedside manner is only a small part of what it takes to be a successful healthcare professional. Ask them specific questions about how they would react in various critical scenarios that they would likely face.
   
   
4. Not providing a clear, detailed job description – An employee may not stay in a position for long if they initially misunderstood the responsibilities of that position. The ideal candidate will be committed to the role despite its difficulties because he/she is passionate about the work and has the ability to commit the necessary time and energy. So, be honest and detailed in the job description.
   
   
5. Hiring too slowly – it’s not fair to expect good candidates to remain unemployed or in jobs they don’t enjoy while you take a significant amount of time to make a hiring decision. In order to prevent quality candidates from getting snatched up by other companies, try to speed up the hiring process.

More than 1 in 4 candidates lie in their CVs, according to First Advantage, a business that offers pre-employment screening services. Therefore, it is important that employers are on the look out for dishonesty rather than being overly trusting.

David Prosser, a Contributor from SmallBiz Ahead, writes about the 4 most common lies that candidates tell in his article, Four Lies Your Employees Told You to Get the Job:

“I got these grades.”

No, you didn’t. More than a third of the education checks made by First Advantage uncovered discrepancies and inaccuracies – typically relating to when, what and where the candidate studied. That might be anything from claiming to have a higher exam grade than was actually achieved to entirely made up degree qualifications.


“I’m professionally qualified.”No, you aren’t. Almost a quarter of the professional checks made by First Advantage found incorrect information had been supplied. Candidates fibbed about their professional qualifications, the licenses they held and their membership of various professional organizations.
 

“I used to do this.”Apparently not. A quarter of all the checks First Advantage made on candidates’ employment records turned up inaccuracies. People don’t tell the truth about where they’ve worked in the past and they’re often tempted to exaggerate the seniority of the roles they held.
 

“I’ve always worked”.Really? One common ploy is to use false dates in order to gloss over periods when the candidate wasn’t working. That might be to hide a period of unemployment about which the candidate feels uncomfortable, or something more serious – even a spell in jail.