7 Common Problems in Employee Recruiting & How to Solve Them

As any HR professional would tell you, employee recruitment is a difficult process. And in 2021 when the world is still in the midst of a pandemic, it’s extra hard hiring the right candidates. That’s why we’ve created a list of the seven most common employee recruiting problems that companies face. In addition, we’ll discuss how to solve these problems so that your 2021 hiring spree can be a successful one.

Before we dive in though, it is important to remember that each company may face a unique set of problems. This is because each business is unique in the way that it recruits, handles and fires employees. As such, these problems and their subsequent solutions are general trends seen across industries.

1.  Lack of Qualified Candidates

Not having a pool of qualified candidates is perhaps the most common employee recruitment problem there is. According to a study by the National Federation of Independent Business, 87% of HR professionals could not find suitable or qualified candidates for their job openings. 

And there’s not much good news in the future regarding this problem either. According to McKinsey, the trend of technological and job development progress requires 16 to 18 million more qualified candidates in the job market, at least in Europe and North America. 

• Solution:

So what’s the solution to this very common problem? The first solution to resolve this problem is to develop a detailed job description that narrows down skills for candidates. It would help if the job description has certain certifications or qualifications in it to exclude irrelevant job applications.

In addition, the better the employer’s brand in the market, the more likely it is that relevant candidates would apply for the job. This is because employees want to work for a company with a well-established brand.

It doesn’t help when your competitors are vying for the same pool of candidates either. So the limited number of qualified candidates are attracted to other companies. However, there is a way to make your company and its job offer stand out – employee referrals. 

Competent employees rely on the word of mouth of their peers. As such, a good candidate experience can help find qualified candidates within the network. Try creating an outstanding candidate experience to create a name for your company in the eyes of potential candidates.

2. Building a Desirable Employer Brand

Another major problem while recruiting employees is to develop the kind of brand candidates would like to be associated with. A staggering 75% of respondents on LinkedIn would rather stay unemployed than accept a job at a brand with a questionable reputation. 

• Solution

There are essentially three things that make up the employer brand in the eyes of the candidate:

1. The company culture
2. The brand story 
3. The working environment

If an organization can develop these three aspects and market them to attract candidates, not only would it attract the right candidates, but also develop a brand that makes it desirable.

3. Maintaining Diversity & Inclusion

Even in 2021, maintaining diversity and recruiting for inclusion remains difficult for companies. Many gay business and LGBT owned business are breaking the stereotypes but progress is slow. According to research, 78% of HR professionals believe that diversity and inclusivity are the top trends in hiring in 2021. However, many companies still struggle to give equal opportunity to people of color and the LGBT community when it comes to hiring.

• Solution

One of the most effective ways to overcome this employee recruiting problem is to develop a diverse network. This means using different types of diversity focused keywords in job posting ads. In addition, businesses can look towards other companies that have a diverse workforce and try to emulate their recruitment process.

4.  Recruiting without Bias

Bias in employee recruiting is prevalent in the United States and all over the world to this day. These biases may show up much more frequently and subtly than most recruiters anticipate. For instance, one report found that white sounding names were 50% more likely to receive an interview call than those with black sounding names. 

• Solution

The key to solving this recruiting problem lies in standardization. Ensure that your recruitment process does not, consciously or unconsciously, account for differences in a way that impedes the recruitment of diverse employees. One easy way to do this is to ask the same questions from all candidates.

Additionally, it would help if your company had a diverse interview panel. This would help the candidate feel more comfortable as a diverse panel shows diversity within the company.

5.  Developing Efficient Recruiting Process

A flawed and undeveloped recruiting process causes unnecessary delays and frustration in the hiring process. Streamlining the recruitment process is also challenging as it requires collaboration between a whole host of people within the company. This problem is compounded when higher level executives have to be hired.

• Solution

The solution for this problem is to identify bottlenecks and streamline processes by developing policies beforehand. It is crucial for key members to take part in devising policies that will allow efficient employee recruiting when the time comes. Additionally, hired personnel can be consulted to get feedback regarding what worked and what didn’t during the hiring process. This would make it easier to develop a streamlined process.

6. Hiring Swiftly

Hiring candidates swiftly is a painstaking process. Usually, it takes anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to hire the right candidate. But research shows that top candidates are only available on the market for 10 days. This poses a serious problem for companies that have slow and arduous hiring processes.

• Solution

One of the key methods to resolve this issue is to automate processes. Most of the time, HR processes slow down because of inefficient and manual tasks. By automating the contact and subsequent steps of the hiring process, companies can reduce the time it takes to hire candidates.  In addition, HR executives can review and shortlist CVs beforehand so that no time is wasted on reviewing candidate CVs when the job vacancy opens.

7. Using Data for Recruiting

According to Deloitte, approximately 71% of companies believe incorporating analytics in the hiring process is crucial for successful hiring. Yet making correct use of data is trickier than it seems. This is because some companies do not want to invest in the analytics infrastructure required to make data a part of recruiting.

• Solution

An easy solution to this problem is to identify recruiting targets and then track them regularly. Companies can use automated analytics for this purpose and even develop data-driven employee tests for this purpose. They can then evaluate employees on the basis of data gathered for them.

Conclusion

There are a number of problems that occur during recruitment beyond the ones described above. However, with adequate communication between and among departments, the costs and time associated with hiring can be reduced. In addition, better candidates can be hired who can stay with the company for the long-term.