Every company in Ireland or Northern Ireland wants to recruit the best person for the job, every time. But of course, by ‘company’ we effectively mean a hiring team, and by ‘hiring team’, we mean a group of human beings who are as prone as any other human beings to getting things wrong – however good their recruiting software may be.

Sometimes, if your firm is struggling to take on the right personnel even while industry rivals sprint ahead, it can be easier to blame external factors – such as a lack of good applicants – rather than contemplate that you are making mistakes with your hiring process.

Here are three errors that could seriously snooker your staff recruitment chances.

1. Writing poor job descriptions

Does your organisation’s current job advertising communicate a high level of competence and awareness of what exactly your firm requires from a candidate? It certainly needs to if you are to attract intelligent applicants.

Make sure your job descriptions cover such factors as the history, corporate culture and vision of your company, as well as the actual job’s daily duties, person to report to, ideal applicant background, compensation and other perks.

2. Waiting for the Perfect Candidate

Sometimes, in the hiring world – as in the dating game – the perfect person doesn’t come along. As a matter of fact, they never come along, as nobody is perfect or could possibly live up to the stereotypical ‘best’ in your mind.

Don’t pass by endless top quality candidates. Instead, recognise that a candidate will be made great by good management and honest appreciation of the positive traits that they already possess.

3. Managing the process inefficiently

If your company is hiring in-house, you should really keep each recruitment process between three weeks and six weeks in length.

Allow the process to last much longer than that, and you risk your hiring managers becoming fatigued and struggling to maintain the same level of vigour. However, try to do things too quickly and you may miss out vital stages, such as actually meeting the applicant.

Ultimately, no Irish or Northern Irish organisation – not even the best-prepared – can expect an absolutely perfect hiring process. However, nor do many of them have much excuse for failing to recruit intelligent and suitable candidates.

In recruitment, as in life in general, it really is the case that those who fail to prepare should prepare to fail.