The process of recruiting employees is vital since it determines the type of workforce and skills organizations will have to accomplish their goals and objectives. Companies’ managers and recruiters focus on hiring diverse teams to ensure that their firms are more innovative creative and achieve better results. Undeniably, a workforce comprising individuals from different backgrounds and perspectives contributes significantly to newer and diverse ideas that are instrumental in solving problems and driving innovation. Nevertheless, fairness or diversity, attracting the right candidates, the establishment of a strong employer brand, engaging qualified candidates, and efficiency are prevalent concerns in the recruitment process. An evaluation of these challenges can help design strategies to address them.
Many organizations experience problems attracting and hiring diverse candidates due to unconscious bias. Companies have legal obligations to offer equal opportunities to all individuals regardless of applicants’ gender, age, religion, or ethnicity (Horváth & Szabó, 2019). However, unconscious bias during the recruitment process can increase risks for legal litigations and deprive companies of a chance to hire and retain the best persons for particular jobs.
Attracting suitable candidates and engaging the most qualified ones is also a significant concern in recruiting. Higher chances are that qualified and unqualified candidates apply for jobs once companies advertise vacancies. It becomes challenging to find the right candidate, primarily when a pool of applicants comprises unskilled talent (Fuller et al., 2021). Consequently, the recruiting managers may end up choosing the best individual they can find at the time but not the best fit for the position. Conversely, different recruiters regularly contact qualified candidates, making it challenging for a particular employer’s email to stand out. Additionally, the most qualified individuals have different job offers to consider, necessitating an extra effort to persuade such candidates to choose your organization over the competitors.
Lack of a strong employer brand is another issue that impacts the recruiting process. An exceptional employer brand is an instrumental tool for attracting and engaging better candidates (Broomfield, 2019). Although investment in employer branding increases the possibility of making a quality hire, the approach involves complexities. Establishing a strong employer brand may include anything ranging from promoting the organization’s culture on different media platforms to guaranteeing a positive applicant experience. The strategy is a collective and continuous process that requires the recruitment team to involve coworkers.
Establishing and maintaining efficiency is an additional challenge experienced in the recruitment process. The hiring team should effectively communicate, quickly evaluate the candidates, and be aware of what is happening in every step (Stuss, Stańczyk & Wziątek-Staśko, 2018). However, possible strained relationships between the hiring managers and the recruiters may be a significant issue with adverse impacts on the process. Administrative tasks may also deprive the recruiting team of valuable time to ensure a good candidate experience.
Different approaches can help address the concerns in the recruitment process. One can prevent the issue of unconscious bias by using techniques such as utilizing blind hiring software and structured interviews. Being clear and concise about requirements and roles in the job adverts and researching what motivates qualified candidates can help attract and engage the latter. Being a good employer, courteously responding to online reviews, encouraging coworkers to share their positive work experience and what they like can be an instrumental approach for establishing an exceptional employer brand. Installation of an applicant tracking system (ATS) can ensure efficiency in the recruitment process by coordinating the hiring team.