HR errors by the eyes of the developer

The main task of an HR specialist is to find a talented and qualified employee, ensure his organic integration into the team and the work process, and monitor the first stages - on a probationary period, the effectiveness of the programmer's work.

Last time we figured out what the process of hiring for the whole in general looks from the applicant. Now let's talk in more detail and list the most common mistakes that HR specialists make. I do not pretend to an expert opinion, I just want, as a developer, to share my personal experience of interacting with HR. I hope my recommendations will help novice HR professionals to act more competently and effectively. Matches are random, events and heroes are fictional.

Error number 1. Answering machine

Answering machine in the mail with a test task. The applicant writes you a letter, puts his resume, and in response receives a request to complete a test task. The problem at this stage is that you can lose a candidate without even starting a conversation with him. Not every specialist will agree to perform a test task without having received more complete information from you - at least simple answers to possible questions.
')
Recommendation

Do not make a mistake that impersonal your company in the eyes of applicants. Answer all letters personally. Remember, people go to work not with robots, but with people, no matter how automated the workflow. Specify in the letter the coordinates of the manager with whom you will have to communicate, a link to the site where you can learn more about the company. Also clarify whether the applicant agrees to immediately perform a test task or it is better to first discuss the general points.

Error number 2. Haste is a bad helper

Another common mistake is the departure time. The trust limit will be drastically reduced if you send a letter at 2 am and on the last working day. In an IT company, punctuality is an important feature of business, and if you write at 2 am, you are unlikely to do so on schedule (of course, if you and the applicant have no time difference of more than 5 hours). And if in the letter you still ask for an urgent reply, then this immediately causes bewilderment.

Recommendation

Use a CRM system to manage communication with applicants. This will allow you, starting from the first stages of dating, to build the right rhythm of interaction with all applicants.

Error number 3. but on the other hand

The other side of the rush is excessive passivity at the initial stage of communication. There is no desire to continue communication when there are only 2 lines in the letter with a request to show code examples or answers to test questions. And even if the applicant responds to such a letter, it happens that the employer disappears for a couple of days, leaving the applicant unanswered. This greatly reduces your chances that this specialist will cooperate with you in the future. Why work with a company in which delays and interruptions begin with the first contact?

Recommendation

Often associated with this problem is the lack of tools that would speed up and partially automate work for the manager. Also, do not forget about the feedback from applicants - you can find out exactly when and where problems arise in the framework of interaction with the applicant. Check if there are any specialized systems or helpers on the market.

Error number 4. Text instead of words

Some personnel specialists, instead of talking to the person personally, simply send some kind of general article or test task and ask for answers to questions ("These are the principles of our company, read and express your opinion"). There was a case when HR companies just sent me a TK, before that they indicated that they were looking for a PHP-specialist. The result of communication was not promising.

Also, there are often cases when potential employers are asked to give answers to questions on this or that technology without even looking at our resume. It helps you lose some more candidates.

Recommendation

This style of communication is not the best option for both parties. It would be much better to arrange a first personal offline or online meeting and motivate a candidate to fulfill your conditions. After all, sometimes there are situations when initially you have completely different views on the possibilities of cooperation. In the mode of communication, you can quickly adjust the goals, or immediately come to the conclusion that you do not need to cooperate at the moment.

Communicate directly with your applicants, do not leave them halfway with a minimum of information. Carefully read the summary provided by the applicant. This way you can get to know a person better and show that your company cares about its employees, even potential ones.

Error number 5. Incompetence

There were cases when I clarified some professional nuances or asked for clarification of the information I received from the company earlier: after reading an article for developers or studying an algorithm. I develop a topic that interests me and I ask you to immerse me in all the nuances of what I have to do, and a person begins to pour on it. Here, of course, my opinion about the company begins to change for the worse.

It's okay if the manager does not know the intricacies of the technical process. But it is bad when technical specialists ask about the subtleties of work in a certain area of ​​technology, but at the same time they cannot even answer indirect questions on this topic.

Recommendation

Before the interview, prepare for communication. If you ask questions, do not be surprised that you may also be asked a question.

Error number 6. Attitude towards criticism and patience

Unfortunately, not all managers are endowed with such quality as self-criticism and patience. There have been cases where the honestly expressed criticism of a specialist or company, the manager did not thank for the opinion expressed, but sarcastically wanted the applicant to find another job. This only leads to the fact that the impression immediately deteriorates about the company and it is unlikely that the applicant rejected in this way would recommend such a company as a possible employer.

Recommendation

Constructive criticism in business is a useful feedback from your target audience. Start collecting and processing the data. This will help you to improve the quality of your work and increase the level of recruiting.

Error number 7. Who is the head in this house

At the interview, there is a moment when it becomes clear that a programmer by general indicators is suitable for the proposed position. And suddenly the manager decides to show the candidate “who is the boss in the house”. The most commonly used techniques are: looping on insignificant problems: pointing to spelling errors, requiring knowledge of a foreign language at a high level, focusing on a specific narrow area, rather than finding out how well the candidate understands the main tasks. Believe me, minor typos and errors in the construction of proposals will not tell you anything about the degree of professional training of the candidate.

Recommendation

It’s very easy to avoid this manager’s mistake and keep the conversation in a constructive way - start asking the answer questions, which you can hardly prepare for if you don’t be a professional in your field. You can simply ask a question about the implementation of a non-typical task that does not have a uniquely good solution. For example: “How to design an autocompletion service for input in a search line”.

Error number 8. Presence at the interview extra people

What is good for one may be unacceptable for another. That is why it is desirable that at the interview there should not be people who are not related to the decision-making on this applicant. For example, former colleagues, fellow students, friends, and so on.

Recommendation

There are no recommendations here either: just stop demoralizing the applicant, concentrate on communicating directly with him. After all, your guests will distract not only the applicant for the position, but also yourself.

Error number 9. Greed is not a vice

The last, and probably the most excusable, mistake, but still a repulsive majority of candidates is money. How can you start working in a company when you are offered a clearly low salary? And often they want to make the first month a test for 75% of this figure.

Recommendation

Now the market is hard to find specialists, with a level above the middle, but quite real. Just be loyal and learn to engage in dialogue.