Poor hiring practices don’t affect only the candidates who are unsuccessful, they can cause lasting damage to companies’ reputations.
“South Africa’s high unemployment rate and brutal job market have led to a significant power imbalance between employer and candidate. This has seen the normalisation of disrespectful, poor treatment of candidates,” says Advaita Naidoo, Africa MD at executive search firm Jack Hammer.
“Companies have become accustomed to treating candidates carelessly due to an oversupply of talent, with process gaps between human resources, hiring managers and recruiters, along with untrained interviewers exacerbating the issue.”
She advises:
- Top talent will avoid companies with reputations for disrespectful or disorganised hiring processes;
- Ghosting, delayed responses and unprepared interviewers during the hiring process show recruits how they will be treated once they join the company;
- Clear communication about the hiring process is a good way to start fixing poor hiring practices;
- Make sure that managers who conduct interviews are always prepared and have reviewed the relevant CVs; and
- Inform candidates whether they have been hired or have been unsuccessful — ghosting is never appropriate.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.