What’s the WORST thing that could happen if you advertise an open position in your company? (Hint: It probably isn’t what you’re thinking…)
Here’s the backstory…
His name was Bob. He was from one of America’s top online job sites at the time. He was presenting strategies and ideas to an audience of several hundred HR directors. He asked an interesting question.
“What’s the worst thing that could happen if you advertise an opening for a position in your company?”
The general consensus was: You don’t get any applicants!
Why? Because you waste time and money preparing and paying for ads that produce no results.
That answer was WRONG.
That was the SECOND worst thing that could happen, according to Bob.
The WORST was getting FLOODED by a whole bunch of UNQUALIFIED applicants. The additional work and expenses tied to evaluating huge STACKS of dead-end applications and resumes, meant even bigger losses.
The LESSON:
If you “need bodies” and you’re thinking of joining the list of companies who are lowering hiring standards because “it’s harder than it used to be” and you think “everyone else is doing it” so it must be OK, think again.
If “word hits the streets” that you don’t drug test anymore… you don’t do background checks anymore… you don’t do pre-employment testing anymore… you WILL get flooded, with LOTS of UNQUALIFIED applicants you wouldn’t have “settled” for otherwise. Your risks will increase. Your rewards will decrease.
And, the GREAT people you DO have now probably won’t want to put up with the drama, anxiety and frustration resulting from that kind of cultural shift in your company for very long. They’ll leave and you’ll wish they didn’t.
Instead of “following the crowd” (to their own demise), let me encourage you to RAISE your standards. Create an even BETTER culture that attracts more of your ideal employees and builds a force-field around your existing staff.
If you do, you won’t have to pursue quality applicants. You will attract them.
#SHRM #WorkforceAlchemy #WorkforceAlchemyChallenge #MasonDuchatschek #HR #HumanResources #Recruiting #Leadership
