Top Mistakes Recruiters Make While Hiring For Leadership Roles

Attracting and recruiting competent talent is no longer an easy task, especially in a rapidly booming economy like China. The task becomes even more complicated when the recruitment needs to be made for leadership roles at top organizational levels. In fact, the in-house hiring managers often do not possess the level of knowledge and expertise required for making such recruitments. This leads them to make the below discussed top mistakes while hiring the candidates for leadership roles.

Show Too Much Dependence On Job Boards : The time when job boards were the most reliable means of sourcing the best candidates for leadership roles. However, the experts from top headhunting firms in China advise the hiring managers to stop being too dependent on these job boards alone. With the emergence of other channels such as social media, internet referral schemes and personal networks, it has become essential for the hiring managers to use a combination of these multiple channels for finding the most suitable candidates.

Prefer Experience Over Competence : Having years of experience does not necessarily make a candidate competent enough to handle the responsibilities associated with a leadership role. However, the hiring managers might not necessarily possess the ability to access the competencies of the candidates irrespective of their level of experience. Such assessments require the recruiting professionals to not only conduct a thorough analysis of the CV of prospective candidates but also to consider their individual thinking styles and skill sets.

Confuse Performance With Potential : It is a common trend for hiring managers to focus on the performance capabilities of the prospective candidates. However, this often leads them to overlook another equally important aspect to be sought in candidates for leadership roles. This is their potential to handle even more challenging responsibilities in the future. A common mistake committed by hiring managers is to confuse the high-performance level of the candidates with their potential. Sadly, not all candidates, who are extremely good performers, have the potential to shine in the future.

Ask Wrong Interview Questions : It has become extremely important for the hiring managers today to be creative with their interview questions. According to the professionals from the top leadership development firms in China, asking the age-old and clichéd interview questions, will not provide them with the most vital information about the candidates. Rather asking pointed behaviour-based questions is the key to extracting the right information that will prove critical in making correct hiring decisions. These questions will provide the recruiters with the experience, insights and learning about the whether the candidates are suitable for the role.

Use Only Compensation As the Best Incentive : It is a common perception that the biggest attraction for candidates seeking leadership positions is a good compensation package. However, this is not true as most such candidates are looking for a more multifaceted that addresses their needs in a holistic manner. Therefore, in addition to a good salary package, these candidates often prefer options that assure them of a better work-life balance and consistent career growth. Hence it is vital for the recruiters to make sure that they offer a complete package to the prospective candidates for leadership positions.