DavidThe quality of individuals hired during staffing determines the success of any small business. Sometimes business leaders are under pressure when hiring new employees, and they make mistakes that may be costly to the company. Therefore, small business owners need to staff wisely and avoid common staffing mistakes that may bring their businesses down.
The following are the common staffing mistakes that small businesses should avoid:
Failure to perform background checks
Some business leaders fail to perform thorough background checks on all the candidates simply because their businesses are small. A background check is essential as the employer can know the candidate’s weaknesses, experience, and criminal records. Some candidates may have lost their jobs in their previous workplaces due to misbehavior and theft; hence hiring them will damage the business.
Unconscious bias
Some leaders discriminate against some candidates simply because of their background, ethnicity, gender, social class, or age. Such bias may make small business owners fail to recruit highly skilled and experienced candidates and lead incompetent employees. Such a decision of hiring an unqualified employee will end up ruining the business. Never pick your favorite candidate while hiring but pick a candidate based on their credentials.
Recruiting candidates who are less qualified compared to you
Some small business owners hire candidates who are less qualified than them to look better than their employees. Others are afraid that the new candidates may become a threat to their positions. Business owners should look for more competent and qualified professionals who will bring more insight, strength, and skills to grow the small business. Employees are there to help you with the tasks you are not competent with; hence you should hire the most qualified and skilled persons.
Other small business owners reject overqualified candidates and fear that they will leave your business for a more satisfying job out there. Do not dismiss the overqualified candidates as they have more experience and skills that you may use to develop your already existing team. Such overqualified candidates should be encouraged to remain in the workplace through rewards and career progression.
Over-reliance on the resume’s references
It will be disastrous if small business owners hire new employees purely based on their resumes’ details. Most candidates do lie in their resumes while applying for specific jobs. Some candidates even lie on their experience and level of education. Relying on particular details will make you recruit incompetent candidates. You should verify all the details given in the resume.
Secondly, employers should avoid putting too much weight on the referees’ recommendations. If the candidate shined in the previous workstation, it doesn’t mean that the candidate will shine in yours again. Some previous employers will negatively recommend the candidate due to their grudge for leaving their organizations.
Poor job description
It is very frustrating for candidates to avail themselves for a job, and then after the interview, they realize the job description was not clear or accurate. When posting a job, indicate the requirements, that is, the minimum level of education, experience, and skills required. Such information will attract competent and qualified candidates. Candidates should know about any change of job description before the interview. Such information will ensure you don’t hire candidates who have no passion for the job description. Candidates who attend hiring exercises with good job descriptions end up being more productive.
Lack of structured hiring procedures
Small businesses should have clear protocols to follow while hiring. The company should have a hiring process to avoid hiring incompetent candidates. A fair recruitment process should not be rushing due to the pressure created by the gap. Business leaders should never skip any step in the hiring process.
Small businesses can become productive if they can avoid the above staffing mistakes. Staffing is an investment exercise that should be taken seriously for the future prosperity of the company. It is the employees that you recruit that will oversee the business growth.