The Worst Hiring Mistake You Can Make Is Made Thousands of Times a Day
Jeff Haden at Inc.com has a lot of things to say about businesses in general, and hiring practices in particular. Here’s an excerpt from an article he wrote recently about how common hiring practices can negatively impact your business:
The Worst Hiring Mistake You Can Make Is Made Thousands of Times a Day
And, no, it’s not hiring the wrong person.
When I was 20 I saw a job listing in the local paper. (Remember those?) A small radio station was looking for a weekend DJ. Though my radio experience to that point consisted of struggling through one news break for my college radio station, I applied.
I even got an interview. Sweet. I sent a follow-up note. I waited to hear back.
And I waited.
And I waited.
And I never heard back.
And while you might be thinking, “Who cares?” here’s the thing: Thirty-five years later, I haven’t forgotten, not that I didn’t get the job, especially since I wasn’t qualified, but that I never heard back.
That part still pisses me off.
We’ve all hired people we just knew would be superstars who turned out to be duds. And we’ve all passed on people who turned out to be superstars at another company. (If you’re like me, you regret the ones you let get away more than the ones you had to let go.)
Those are big mistakes, but they pale in comparison to this:
Failing to follow up with and provide closure to every person who applies for a job.
Unfortunately, it’s a mistake most companies make. John Younger, the founder of Accolo, says their research shows that over 90 percent of companies fail to provide closure to candidates who apply. “And,” he says, “we’ve yet to meet a job seeker, hiring manager, recruiter, or company who feels that figure is off.”
So why is failing to follow up with job seekers such a major mistake?