Are you stuck in a recruitment rut? Are you struggling to find great candidates? Does your talent pool feel more like a talent puddle?
Rest assured you’re not alone.
Perhaps it’s because (like many employers out there) you’re being tripped up by one of these 12 tricky recruitment myths. With the Great Resignation in full swing, making the talent market even more competitive than usual, it’s important that we tackle them head-on.
Let’s review these gnarly hiring myths and bust them together.
Myth 1. Employers should use as many recruitment agencies as possible
Let’s be candid. Most recruitment agencies, and therefore most employers, pay for recruiting candidates. There is no shame in it; it’s an established system that happens to be very effective. But how many recruitment agencies should you list your vacancy with?
Placing your brief with multiple recruitment agencies might increase your chances of finding a great candidate. And what could possibly go wrong if a whole bunch of recruiters are out there tapping into the talent pool on your behalf?
The Reality:
Okay, let us spill the tea. There are problems with this approach.
Trying to single handedly keep track of multiple agencies is a headache and a logistical nightmare. There. We said it. Working with a number of trusted recruitment agencies that reliably source talent for you is the better option. Keep it small.
Or better yet, prioritise in-house talent acquisition so that you have greater control over the process. Using an applicant tracking system (ATS) through a platform like Employment Hero, can streamline the process. This makes attracting top talent a breeze by providing a single platform to easily manage and process your candidates.
Myth 2. Agency recruitment won’t be around for much longer
Is agency recruitment fading away? Social media channels like LinkedIn are making it easier than ever for companies to manage recruiting internally. Handsome referral bonuses can help businesses tap into their current employee’s networks to hire directly.
With automation changing the nature of work and the pandemic transforming how we work, employers and agencies certainly have to think differently about agency recruitment. The unpredictability of the last few years has led to more and more companies looking to hire ‘contingent’ or flexible workers, so those permanent-only agencies might need to rethink their strategy.
But is it over for agency recruitment?
The Reality:
Of course it’s not over for agencies. According to Venturi, the number of recruitment agencies in the UK is currently at a record high – 27,700. The issue is not a lack of work – it’s a shortage of candidates. A global skills shortage and a boom in remote working is simply forcing recruitment agencies to widen their search.
However, those tools like employee networks, referral programs and remote work talent pools are making it easier for businesses to boost their Employer Value Proposition (EVP) and create employee advocates. From our perspective, the perfect recruitment strategy utilises these tools in addition to using agencies for specialised roles.
Myth 3. Job ads are easy to write – just use a template
Have you ever been tempted to use a freebie job ad template? Or paid pennies for a backstreet job template in the depths of despair?
It’s ok. We won’t tell and we certainly won’t judge. It probably happened because you wrote a template once and the hiring process turned into an unmitigated disaster. We’ve all been there (actually, we haven’t – but we’ve heard stories).
And a template is probably better than stringing together a bunch of cliches and expecting stellar candidates.
If you don’t think too hard about it, or if the role is very, very generic, or if you don’t care about the role you are trying to fill or who might apply, then, sure. Go ahead. Write your ad yourself or buy a template. Take the, ahem, easy option.
The Reality:
Ok, you got us. This one is part myth, part truth.
But let us be clear about one thing: job ads are not easy to write. And a well thought out, consistent, fair template can make a big difference in attracting the calibre of candidates you are looking for, and it can keep you legally compliant. If you are looking for a perfect example, then of course Employment Hero has you covered.
We believe with fervour that job ads must be customised to your business, the industry you work in, and the person you are looking for. We’re calling time on generic templates. Let’s banish them for good, please.
Myth 4. Recruiters only care about money
Like all industries, recruitment has its own problems. Some people care more about the job search (and the commission) than about your career. Many recruiters earn a fee based on their successful candidate’s first year’s salary, a bonus that can be worth up to 30%. The flip side is that if you don’t get the job, they don’t get paid. Rather than risk not getting paid, they might encourage an employee to take a lower offer.
But is money really all they care about?
The Reality:
Here’s the thing. Recruiters are human. And just like normal human beings, recruiters do care about money, but they also really care about job satisfaction. They care about doing a good job. Like providing their clients with excellent candidates who thrive in their roles and really contribute to the success of the company (their client). Like being known in their industry for reliably sourcing exceptional talent. They are people-people.
Myth 5. Salary is a secondary concern in a job offer
Congrats! You selected a great candidate, posted out the job offer with a fetching salary… And what’s that? They rejected it? Why would a candidate do that?
The Reality:
Salary might indeed be a secondary concern for a candidate, or even lower. That’s because the total compensation package tells a much bigger story. Benefits and perks, including pension contribution, can make up a significant portion of the total compensation, and a generous benefits package can even make up for a lower salary.
Be aware that job seekers are also increasingly asking for more flexibility, more job satisfaction, and a decent culture. You can check out our fascinating Employee Movement and Retention Report for more insights.
Myth 6. Every job must be advertised externally
This myth is definitely false, but we need to caveat our answer.
The Reality:
By law, employers do not have to advertise a job description or vacancy externally before appointing a candidate. It is entirely lawful to only consider internal candidates or to make direct appointments. But doing this may limit your talent pool. For us, that’s a good enough reason in itself to advertise externally.
Myth 7. AI will soon replace recruiters
Technology is advancing at lightning speed, and across the board there is talk of AI and automation replacing workers. That is no less the case in recruitment. But could AI really replace human recruiters? Or will deeply problematic issues like algorithms perpetuating recruiting bias continue to plague its advance?
The Reality:
The ability to automate simple, low-value, high-volume recruiting tasks such as screening CVs has obvious appeal. While AI can’t replace recruiters, intelligent automation can streamline the mass of administration around the recruitment process. Intuitive, streamlined software like our platform here at Employment Hero can help you process applicants and recruit with ease, eliminating many of the time consuming and laborious HR tasks.
Our hot take is that AI has a powerful role to play in the recruitment industry, but so will recruiters for a long time to come. And they can work together too – we even have a solution for that.
Myth 8. Experience is a good way to measure a candidate’s competence
Once upon a time, a candidate’s past performance would dictate how they performed in future. But it’s just not the case any more. Environment is everything.
The Reality:
Every company is different, and every company culture is unique. The experience an employee gained in one culture, one team or under one manager may not tell the whole story. Instead, pay attention to the questions they ask. Listen to their goals. Ask them what they’re not good at. Finding the right fit for your team is key, because experience and competence can be gained later.
Even better, hire for a cultural add. This is about identifying what a candidate could bring to your business and how they can help you reach your company goals. Their cultural add might come from their education, their background, network, or their personal and professional goals – not necessarily just their experience or their current competency.
Myth 9. You should only recruit when you need staff
Often companies will start the recruitment process when they know they have a position to fill. But this can be too late. It can put unnecessary pressure on already stretched teams. So how do you anticipate staffing needs, and when is the best time to recruit?
The Reality:
Always. Be. Recruiting.
Don’t wait for a gap to appear in your team or winning a new project or setting sudden, ambitious targets to decide to expand. This is already way too late. There’s an old adage about hiring six months before you need to. But we think it’s a good idea to keep your talent pool open always. Embed this in your company culture and let your HR team set your hiring managers and entire company up for success.
Myth 10. Everyone is desperate for a job
The pandemic turned the world upside down, but one thing was abundantly clear. Not everyone is desperate for just any job. The tables are turning, and workers are rightfully demanding a whole lot more from their employers.
There’s no denying many of us still very much need to work, but the Great Resignation is forcing employers to redefine their employer value propositions. Not everyone is desperate, and not everyone is looking.
The Reality:
In fact, research shows that as many as 73% of interview candidates are not even looking for roles. These passive candidates have enormous value and absolutely should not be overlooked if you want to expand your talent pool.
Read more: Template for passive candidate outreach
Myth 11. All you need is a simple job advertisement
Ok, where do we start with this one? A job advert is a great start, but you need to think bigger than this if you want to attract top candidates.
The Reality:
Like we just mentioned, passive candidates are an excellent pool to tap into, and they are not actively job seeking at the moment.
While you might be tempted to think that one advert might keep your costs down, how much is that decision costing your business in the long run? Recruitment can be an expensive process, but only more so when you get it wrong.
We explore the most cost-effective recruitment strategies here.
Myth 12. International hiring is out-of-reach for SMBs
If the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that remote working isn’t just a short-term pandemic response. With the popularity of this model, and the growing trend of asynchronous working, teams are becoming more flexible than ever before in terms of where and when they work.
However, international recruitment is simply too complex for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). You may want to hire people who live in another district or country, or retain your team members who want to work abroad or from their home country, but navigating the employment laws in different countries makes this impossible. Right?
The Reality:
There’s no reason why SMBs shouldn’t benefit from international recruitment, especially when you have services like Global Teams who take hard work out of the equation.
Global Teams is a professional employer organisation (PEO) that enables you to hire based on skill, not location. Whether you’re expanding into new markets or struggling to fill open roles, Global Teams connects the best talent with the best employers, legally and ethically. They work for you – but we manage the admin; payroll, local tax and pension minimums, insurance obligations and more.
Supercharge recruitment in 2022
Now we’ve busted these recruitment myths, it’s time to become a recruitment master!
Our Ultimate Guide to Recruitment can help you create a standout strategy to capture the attention of incredible talent. Learn how to build a business case for new roles, write the perfect job ad, design an incredible interview process and much more! Download the free guide now.
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