Spotting recruitment red flags in all-star candidates can be a hard thing for all employers to do
It’s easy to let the excitement of hiring a new team member get to you, but be warned: employers can be bamboozled by sweet-talking candidates. Before you know it, your wires are crossed and you’ve made a hiring move that could tank your small business. But spotting recruitment red flags isn’t a hard thing for employers to do, and we’re going to help you.
We’ve been matching employers with all-star candidates for years now, so we know a thing or two about spotting phoneys.
1 – Impossible claims
When you sit down to look at CVs, are you preparing to look at things critically? Lots of employers read CVs to be impressed, but this is a huge mistake.
Candidates can say anything they want on their applications. They can say that they have excellent communication skills or that they know how to use Adobe Photoshop – but this might be a lie.
Candidates say what they think you want to hear. They write what they think you want to read. So you’ve got to be careful!
If a candidate makes any kind of claim on their skills, it has to be backed up by evidence. This is where a thorough look at their portfolio and social media can save you.
Even when a candidate simply uses statistics to back up their skills, this is a million times better than simply saying how great they are.
2 – They look perfect
We’ve all heard the saying nobody’s perfect. This is something you should probably think about when you’re scanning those CVs.
If one of your applicants looks perfect, it’s probably a lie.
This is where a good recruitment process can save your skin. Don’t just dump the impossibly perfect candidates in the bin, invite them to interviews, ask hard questions, have them complete a task and get references.
References are seriously under-utilised in recruitment. The excitement of taking on a new hire gets the best of us and suddenly you’ve skipped past those boring, form-filling stages. But they’re there for a reason.
So pace yourself and trust in the process.
3 – Have they thought about the long-term?
When candidates apply for jobs, they’re often just clicking a button. They might not even read the full job description or research your company. But where they’re lazy, you can make up for it.
The candidate that knows little about the job, company or industry is unreliable. Their future might be in a completely different sector and they might even hate the job at your company. Either way, they could be leaving you high and dry in a few months.
Be sure to evaluate your applicant’s career journey so far. Even if they’re fresh out of university, they should hopefully be able to demonstrate a dedication to the job type and industry they’ve applied to.
Be sure to ask questions about their long-term goals. A simple where do you see yourself in 5 years question might reveal that they don’t see their future with you and your company.
4 – Communication concerns
If your candidates aren’t excited to work with you… why bother?
If you send a message and it takes them longer than 24 hours to get back to you… Well, that’s the biggest red flag in recruitment.
If you’re still looking for your perfect candidate, you’ve come to the right place
Spotting recruitment red flags can be tricky for employers.
But when you hire with DigitalGrads, you can rest easy knowing that our candidates are coming to you pre-screened. Our process weeds out the weak and unmotivated candidates until you’re left with an all-star shortlist.
If you’re on the hunt for your next junior co-worker, sign up today to begin the journey to recruitment.