According to the Harvard Business Review up to 80% of employee turnover is as a result of bad decisions made in regards to hiring. However few businesses and owners actually stop to think whether it is their recruitment process causing these problems and turning away potential employees. If your recruitment strategies include any of the following it may be time to rethink them:

Self-Centered Job Advertisements

Often, job advertisements provide an extensive list of talents, skills and qualifications the candidates must possess, but fail to sell the overall job to an applicant. By doing this, it gives the impression that you are simply trying to satisfy a HR checklist rather than attracting the best people and furthering your staff's potential. Instead of being interested of the company's culture and looking forward to possibly working for you, it can cause the to run for the hills. If that sounds unlikely to you, remember talented individuals always have other options out there.

Laborious Processes

According to research conducted by the UK firm Staffing, an overwhelming 47% have bailed out on a prospective employer due to the hiring process being so frustrating. Hard to navigate recruitment portals, difficult communication, large application forms and vague descriptions of the role all fall within this category.

No Human Face

You have the  balance wrong, if you're spending thousands on marketing but significantly less on recruitment communications. Applicants deserve more than an impersonal "your application has been received" letter or email. Instead thank the applicant for applying and tell them you're pleased to have received it. Give them human contact and a direct phone number or email address and most of all, explain what happens next! Candidates who are given clearly identified steps and a realistic timetable are more likely to stick around.

Close-Minded Culture

Each business has a culture, and it will shine through your recruitments process, whether you want it to or not. Most candidates use the process as an indication of the businesses working environment. If you show inflexibility, the candidate will likely assume they will habe little to no independence in the role.

Most people want to work in organizations that put their people first. They want their boss to show unfailing respect for the work they do. They want consideration for the little hiccups that life throws in the way, such as an office-hours medical appointment or a family bereavement. Throw them into a recruitment process that disengages leadership, favors process over empathy or delegates the recruitment decision to an unconnected third party, and your applicants are not going to champion your firm. Before you know it, the best talent will have gone.

Applicants want to work in a business that puts their employees first. They want their boss to show them respect for the work they do. They also want consideration for any small problems that occur. Give them a recruitment process that provides removed leadership, favouritism of process over empathy or delegates recruitment decisions to a third party, and these applicants are unlikely to champion your firm. The best talent will be gone, before you know it.