After working with and learning from some of the most successful companies in the world for over 20 years, About Recruiting Inc. has seen several challenges facing hiring managers and those people on the interviewing team:

 - Most companies lack a formal sourcing strategy and end up hiring the best of the bunch rather than THE BEST. Top talent needs to first be found. In a robust economy or tight labour market, it is commonly assumed that the best people are working. In other words, they are passive candidates that need to be located.

 -  The wording in typical job descriptions limits the number of qualified people who will apply for the position. Rather than looking at what people are exceptional at, abilities and talents that are instinctive, many companies make their hiring decisions based on what people have learned, acquired and experienced to date. Because the essence of people is not what they have learned, acquired and experienced, hiring based on those limited aspects will bring limited results. 

 - Most companies only list the "necessary skills, experience and knowledge required without appealing to the real reasons top talent accept new offers.

 - Too many companies erroneously discard top candidates because they do not have all the skills, experience and knowledge listed on the job description. These companies are more focused on processes and procedures and less on the end result.

 - Hiring based on emotional biases is common practice. Whenever a hiring decision is based on a subjective element like an emotional bias, the interviewing process becomes tainted.  

 -  When an emotional bias is favorable to hiring the candidate, the interviewer often starts selling the company to the candidate. 

 - Lengthy job descriptions are posted listing desirable skills, knowledge and experience required for the role paying little to no attention to natural abilities and the outcome expected of the job. Someone with all the skills, knowledge and experience does not guarantee a world-class job performance.

 - The placement of job advertisements often reaches average candidates shopping for another job, not top talent seeking a progressive career move. 

 - Hiring managers and people on the interviewing team often have conflicting information about what the job entails. This is especially true if the focus of the job description is on measurable data (learned skills, experience and knowledge) and not on performance outcomes.

 - The hiring team does not often follow the structure of the interviewing questions and if they do, they do not know what to do with the results.

 - When it comes time to offer the incumbent a position, hiring managers seem to have little experience negotiating the remuneration package or in dealing with counteroffers.

Sharon Cornwall, Managing Director of About Recruiting Inc. With more than 20 years of personnel management and consulting experience in corporate, public and higher education environments, Ms. Cornwall is widely recognized as a knowledgeable leader in her field.