HR managers deliberating recruitment problems and solutions

General

6 Core Recruitment Problems And Solutions Your HR Team Needs To Face Today

October 30, 2022

Tima Rassool

Tima Rassool

Content Writer

It’s no secret that recruitment is challenging, especially when you want to recruit top talent for your company. As an HR professional, you know that finding great candidates is very important for the company’s growth and staying ahead of the curve.

But what if you’re struggling with some common recruitment problems? Well, it seems like companies are struggling with the same thing: finding the best talent.

There are a lot of things that go into the recruiting process—from sourcing and screening candidates to interviewing and making an offer. Therefore, it’s critically important to understand the common recruitment problems and solutions that come up during the process.

Today, we will discuss the 6 core recruitment problems and solutions your HR team needs to face today.

Let’s get started!

Lack of  Quality Candidates 

A group of recruiters happy to address recruitment problems and solutions

Many companies face one major problem: not having enough quality candidates to choose from. This can be incredibly debilitating, especially when you’re trying to fill an essential position within the company – and in a short amount of time. 

In fact, it is estimated that about 60% of companies struggle with this recruitment problem, affecting companies of all sizes and industries.

But fear no more! There are a few things that you can do to combat this problem:

Use different recruiting channels: don’t just rely on job boards to post your jobs. Use social media, word-of-mouth from employees, and other methods to reach a larger pool of potential candidates.

Make your job descriptions better: Often, job descriptions are too general and don’t give candidates a good idea of what the role entails. So take the time to make your job descriptions more specific and detailed so that candidates can better understand what they would be doing if they were to take the job.

Improve your employer brand: Improving your employer brand is another way to attract more qualified candidates. So make sure that your company is seen as a great place to work and that it’s an attractive option for top talent.

Now that we have successfully looked into one of the core recruitment problems and solutions in recruitment, it’s time to discuss the second recruitment problem.

Unclear Job Descriptions

A recruiter reading a document about recruitment problems and solutions.

As we just talked about in the last section, another common problem with hiring is job descriptions that aren’t clear. This is a major issue because candidates will not be motivated to apply if they don’t know what the job entails.

Not only that, but if you don’t have a clear understanding of what you’re looking for in a candidate, you will be unable to find the right person for the job.

Here are a few things that you can do to fix this problem:

Make your job descriptions more specific: As we mentioned, you need to ensure that your job descriptions are clear, relevant, and specific. Candidates should be able to read your job description and have a clear understanding of what the role entails.

Include key qualifications and skills: Another way to clarify your job descriptions is by including key qualifications and skills that you’re looking for in a candidate. This will help to narrow down the pool of candidates and make it easier for you to find the right person for the job.

Outline the duties and responsibilities: in addition to including key qualifications and skills, you should also outline the duties and responsibilities of the role. This will give candidates a better understanding of what they would be expected to do if they were to take the job.

Now that we have successfully investigated one of the most important recruitment problems and solutions for an HR department, let’s move on to the third.

Lack of Candidate Engagement

A group of recruiters investigating recruitment problems and solutions.

Another common recruitment problem is a lack of candidate engagement. What do we mean by that? Well, it’s when candidates are not responsive to your outreach, or they don’t seem interested in the job.

This can be a big problem because it can lengthen the recruitment process and make it more difficult to fill the position.

There are a few things that you can do to salvage the problem:

Follow up with candidates: One of the best things you can do is follow up with candidates after contacting them. This shows that you’re interested in them and gives them a chance to ask any questions they might have about the job.

Keep candidates updated: Another thing that you can do is to keep candidates updated on the status of their applications. This way, they’ll know what’s going on, and they won’t feel like they’ve been left in the dark.

Send personal messages: Instead of generic messages to all your candidates, try to send personal messages tailored to each individual. This shows that you care about them, making them more likely to respond.

We have now looked into three of the most common recruitment problems and solutions for HR teams. The fourth recruitment challenge will be explored in the next section.

Long Recruitment Processes

A recruiter uses a recruiting tool to speed up the recruiting process.

One of the biggest recruitment problems is having a lengthy recruitment process. This problem is very common when you are recruiting using a traditional method. Recruiting with a traditional approach can take weeks or even months, which is why it’s a big problem, and that is because the recruiting process generally contains these steps:

  • Writing a job ad
  • Posting the job ad
  • Sifting through resumes
  • Conducting initial interviews
  • Conducting second interviews
  • Making an offer
  • Onboarding
  • Training

It’s not surprising that this process can take a long time. But the problem is that, in today’s fast-paced world, candidates are not willing to wait around for weeks or months to hear back from you. They want a quick and efficient process.

The good news is that there are a few things that you can do to speed up your recruitment process:

Use an Applicant Tracking System: An Applicant Tracking System (ATS), like EVA-REC, can help to automate your recruitment process and make it more efficient. It can help you create job requisitions, post jobs to 2,000+ job boards, sift through resumes, shortlist top talent, conduct initial interviews, rank candidates, and send electronic offers.

Conduct video interviews: Instead of in-person interviews, you can use one-way video interviews to save time. Video interviewing software like EVA-SSESS is an excellent tool for screening candidates quickly and efficiently. Where you can conduct interviews with candidates remotely and at a time that suits you best. 

Onboarding electronically: Onboarding doesn’t have to be a long, drawn-out process. You can use electronic onboarding to speed up the process and make it more efficient.

High Turnover Rates

Employees are happy after the company addressed the recruitment problems and solutions.

Recent studies show that 25% of new employees leave their jobs within the first year, and the cost of losing an employee can be up to 2 times their salary. This can lead to high turnover rates and make it one of the most costly and difficult recruitment problems to solve.

However, here are a few things that you can do to reduce turnover rates:

Conduct exit interviews: Exit interviews can help you to understand why employees are leaving and what you can do to prevent it.

Improve your onboarding process: A good onboarding process can help new employees to adjust to their new job and feel like they are a part of the team.

Offer competitive salaries: Offering competitive salaries is one of the best ways to attract and retain employees.

Lack of Diversity

Employee Satisfaction as a result of workplace diversification

Diversity is important in the workplace because it helps to create a more inclusive environment and it also helps to boost creativity and innovation. But unfortunately, many companies struggle with diversity in the workplace and thereby face this recruitment problem.

There are a few things that you can do to improve diversity in the workplace:

Change your job ads: How you write your job ads can have a big impact on the type of candidates you attract. To attract more diverse candidates, you must ensure that your job ads are inclusive.

Remove bias from your recruitment process: Remove any unconscious bias from your recruitment process. This includes changing the way you screen candidates and ask questions in interviews.

Offer targeted training: Offer training to help employees understand the importance of diversity and how to create a more inclusive environment.

Final Thoughts

Recruitment is a challenging process, but with the right tools and strategies, you can make it more efficient. In this article, we have discussed six of the most common recruitment problems and their solutions. Use these tips to improve your recruitment process and reduce turnover rates.

EVA-REC is an on-demand recruiting software that automates and improves the hiring process with AI technology. From small businesses to industry giants—we aim to offer fully customizable, world-class features that help create a rich and immersive hiring experience for recruiters and candidates. With EVA-REC, companies can drive merit-based, objective, and fair hiring practices that minimize bias without dehumanizing the hiring process. Request a free demo today! Request a free demo

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Author

Tima Rassool

Tima Rassool

A wordsmith, storyteller, and content strategist – Tima is an MBA graduate with 6+ years of experience in the world of HR. With over 2,000 blogs under her belt, Tima's expertise and insights have helped businesses across the globe take their recruitment to the next level and stay ahead of the curve.

Turn top talent to employees fast

Hire, assess, onboard and manage top talent for every job. See how Elevatus streamlines everything; from acquire to new hire.

Request a demo