The Top 10 Mistakes Made in Recruiting

Recruiting a new member of staff is an expensive and time-consuming business, so it pays to make sure you get the best person you possibly can.  Pressures on budgets and time mean that it can be tempting for organisations to cut corners when recruiting, but this rarely pays off in the long run.  Here are some of the most common (and fairly easily avoided) charity recruitment mistakes.

1.    Not asking the right interview questions

With many not for profit employees being asked to do more with fewer resources, it can be extremely difficult to take the time to prepare properly for interviews.  This means that interviewers can end up just asking superficial questions about previous experience and not really probing a candidate to see how well they will do in the job.  Not preparing detailed questions in advance also makes it much harder to establish a level playing field for multiple interviewees and avoid bias.

Read our past blogs on common interview mistakes and behavioural interviewing to make your interviews more effective. 


2.    Not recruiting for a cultural fit

While no organisation wants employees who are clones and all think in the same way, it is important that any new member of staff fits in with the rest of their team.  Their personality has to mesh with others and it’s important they have similar ethics and values, particularly in charities, where the organisation’s mission should be the primary staff motivator.

Find out how to determine your organisation’s working culture and choose new employees to fit.


3.    Relying solely on an interview

Although the interview is one of the most effective tools in an employer’s kit, decisions on hiring should not be made purely on that basis.  After all, according to a study done by the Chally Group, an interview only increases the chance of finding the best candidate by 2%.  You need to include as much supporting material as you can when shortlisting, including CVs, emails, covering letters, references, personal recommendations and their web presence and social media profiles.

Here’s some guidance on using cover letters to recruit effectively.


4.    Not checking references

A survey from the Society for Human Resource Management reports that 25 % of employers never check references and the Charity Commission estimates that only 23% of charities carry out checks on prospective trustees.

Not taking the time to check references leaves you entirely reliant on the candidate’s view of themselves, which can be accidentally or deliberately distorted.

Find out more about checking references here.


5.    Automatically rejecting overqualified candidates

When initially screening candidate CVs, it can be tempting to take out any candidates who exceed the required experience; dismissing them as ‘overqualified’ and not matching the person specification.  However, the advantages of taking on someone with more experience and extra skills can often outweigh any possible downsides.  In this candidate-heavy market, it seems strange that more employers are not taking advantage of being able to get more for less.

Read more about the potential benefits of 'overqualified' candidates.


6.    Recycling job descriptions and person specifications

Re-using the job description for your outgoing employee might be seen as a good way to save time, but cutting corners like this can definitely backfire.  Roles change over time and the job description might be out-of-date, meaning that you’ll be hiring against an incorrect set of criteria.  Recruiting is also a good time to review a role’s responsibilities – it may make more sense to reshuffle duties around the team, or to split up overstretched roles into more than one job.  Vague and imprecise job descriptions also make shortlisting difficult, as you’ll get many more unsuitable applicants.

Find out more about writing effective job descriptions and person specifications here.


7.    Missing the opportunity to sell your organisation

As there are so many jobseekers around looking for work at the moment, it can be easy for employers to assume that anyone would be grateful to work for them and that they don’t need to ‘sell’ the role or organisation.  In reality, there’s more competition than ever for the very best candidates and particularly in certain niche areas.  And even if they don’t end up with the job, anyone interested enough to interview with you could be an excellent potential advocate or supporter for your organisation.

Read more on selling your organisation at interview here.


8.    Waiting for the perfect candidate

In recruitment terminology, the elusive perfect candidate is referred to as a ‘purple squirrel’ and like their namesake, they can be very thin on the ground.  A candidate-rich market can leave organisations paralysed by choice, as they reason that there must be a jobseeker out there who matches every requirement on their list and they only have to find them.

In reality, perfect candidates are so rare that it is usually best to go for someone who meets all of the key requirements and can be trained in the “would-like-to-haves”.  Training up a candidate builds loyalty and productivity, and they might have other qualities that could come in useful in the future.  Leaving the role open risks drops in productivity and damaging morale as other employees struggle to cover the responsibilities.

Find out more about purple squirrels here.


9.    Asking ‘illegal’ interview questions

While some interview questions are obviously discriminatory and are easy to avoid, it is possible for employers to think they are innocently making conversation but they may actually be straying into potentially illegal areas, and making themselves open to litigation.

However, planning interview questions in advance, and being aware of exactly what you can and cannot ask, will help you avoid any problems.  Find out more about illegal interview questions here.


10.    Mishandling rejections and not supplying feedback

This is probably the most common mistake made, as employers find it hard to devote time to candidates who have not made it through the interview process.  But, as well as simply being polite to take the time to give feedback to a rejected candidate, it can also benefit your recruitment process and employer brand.

Discover the best way to handle rejections and give interview feedback here.

How to reject candidates without turning them off your brand

All too often, when candidates apply for roles, they are never contacted if they are unsuccessful.  Even attending an interview does not guarantee you any constructive feedback.

When employers do send out rejections, they tend to be impersonal and non-specific, either through a lack of time or from fear of causing offence.  Failing to give feedback is one of the most common mistakes employers make.

Why bother?

This is especially important for not for profit organisations, as their employees usually overlap to a great extent with their supporters and donors.  You want candidates to feel good about your organisation, even if they are unsuccessful, so they don’t spread negative comments about you among their friends and relations.

Candidates also might not be right for one role, but could be a good match for a future vacancy, or could be a potential employee after they have gained skills and experience elsewhere.  Turning them off your employer brand means you’ll lose them as a potential candidate (and possible donor or advocate) forever.

Finally, if a candidate has taken the time to fill in an application form, or to attend an interview, it’s only polite to let them know the outcome.  It may even save you time in the long run, as you won’t have to field calls or emails from candidates following-up.

When should you do it?

Best practice is to give a candidate feedback as soon as you are absolutely sure they are not right for the role, and to let them move on as soon as possible.  You don’t need to wait until you have filled the post if you are sure the candidate isn’t right.

Many employers already know at the end of interview (either on the phone or in person) if a candidate is a definite rejection, and it can be a good idea to let them know right there and then.  Candidates usually have an idea if an interview has not gone well, and most appreciate candour and honest feedback.  By giving a candidate feedback at the end of an interview, you won’t have to spend time following up with them at a later date.

Very occasionally, the candidate will be able to counter your points, bringing them back into the recruitment process.  You don’t want to miss an ideal candidate just because they may be a nervous or inexperienced interviewee.

However, most employers still prefer to take some time after an interview to reflect on a candidate’s performance or compare notes, and contact them at a later date.

What should you say?

The rule of thumb is to make feedback as constructive and personalised as possible.  A standard email may be acceptable for candidates rejected prior to the interview process, but more detailed feedback is important for interviewees.

There is really no excuse for not sending at least an email to rejected applicants – most email software will allow you to set up a mail merge or autotext that enables you to do this in seconds.  At this stage, all you need to say is that there was a high level of response to the vacancy and that other candidates met the person specification more closely.

Sweeten the pill

When you’re giving constructive criticism to a candidate, whether on the phone or by mail, it’s always a good idea to start off with the positives and give them some compliments before you tackle the areas where they fell down.  Wherever possible, you should also end by repeating their strong points.  This softens the blow of any negatives and is more likely to leave them with a positive impression of your organisation to take away.

Be honest and specific

Unsuccessful candidates who have turned up for an interview expect and deserve a clear reason for their rejection, even if it is just “we have other candidates who better matched our requirements”.

Wherever possible, tell them exactly which areas of the interview they could have handled better - most will already have a good idea of where they struggled.  Make sure your reasons are concrete, not subjective like “I didn’t feel your personality would fit with the rest of the team”.  You also need to avoid any comments that could be misinterpreted, like “I didn’t feel you could handle the workload” that could leave you open to potential charges of discrimination.

Be candid but gentle in the language you use – being honest is not the same as being blunt and ultimately you want to leave the candidate feeling good about your organisation and about themselves if possible.

Don’t mention the person you decided to hire in any way, even as a comparison.  Feedback should focus exclusively on the person you are talking to.

Finishing up

To make the feedback process feel less one-sided and more of a conversation, why not ask the candidate to supply their own comments on the interview.  This can help head off problems with your recruitment process and gives you the chance to improve your interview technique.

If you are likely to consider the candidate for future opportunities, letting them know you’ll keep their details on file will help soften the blow of the rejection.

If the candidate has been interviewed, thank them for their time and wish them luck with their future job hunt.

Always sign-off from a person, not just “HR Manager” or similar, and give them a way to contact you for further details if they need to.

Of course, all this takes time

Using a recruitment consultancy like TPP will take most of the administration of recruitment out of your hands, freeing you to concentrate on your day job.

We do the initial sift through candidate responses to advertisements, only shortlisting the ones we are confident will be a good match.  We’ll also contact all unsuccessful candidates and pass on your feedback to them, ensuring they leave with a good impression of your organisation.

We’ll also pass on any comments they make on the interview process back to you, which can be extremely useful as candidates are also more likely to be candid with a third party.

For more information or to talk about a specific role, please contact the relevant TPP division.

Further resources

Some sample rejection letters:
Sample Letter 1
Sample Letter 2
Sample Letter 3

And some examples of how not to do it!
A job rejection letter to end all others
A famous rejection letter allegedly from the BBC
Rejection letter from a candidate

6 Common Interview Mistakes Employers Make

Hiring the wrong person wastes your organisation’s time and money and is bad for morale.  Probably the most challenging part of the hiring process, and the area most susceptible to error, is the interview itself.  Many interviewers really don't find out much about a candidate's capability, because they don't know how.  Here are some of the most common mistakes made by interviewers, and TPP’s suggested solutions.

1. Fail to prepare

Relying on stock standard questions is one of the most common interview mistakes, especially with so many list of typical questions and pre-prepared answers available to candidates online.  “Tell me about yourself” is not an exciting first question and will not elicit the right information from a candidate.  Take time before the interview to put together a list of in-depth questions that will determine whether a candidate has the key skills and experience for your role.

In most cases it is beneficial to have more than one person interviewing the candidate/s in order to gain an alternative perspective and to remain unbiased.  However, if other employees and teams are brought in, make sure they do not repeat the same questions already asked.  If possible, assign different areas of questioning to different people based on their expertise.

2. Don’t know which requirements are key

When putting the job description together for a vacancy, you will have come up with a ‘wishlist’ of skills, qualifications, experience, interests and personality traits for an ideal candidate.  In reality, candidates are unlikely to fully meet every requirement and in order to determine the best one for a role you will need to assign a weight to each requirement so that they can be ranked.

Competency-based questions can then be used to determine how well each candidate meets the key requirements, and gives them an opportunity to justify their claims with examples, ensuring you are always talking about skills in the context of your objectives.  Determining which requirements are absolutely key to a role will ensure you don’t settle on a candidate who may be the best at interview but doesn’t have the skills you need.

3. Rely only on the interview

According to the Chally Group, a Human Resources consulting firm, in, The Most Common Hiring Mistakes, research at the University of Michigan found that, "The typical interview increases the likelihood of choosing the best candidate by less than 2%. In other words, if you just 'flipped' a coin you would be correct 50% of the time. If you added an interview you would only be right 52% of the time."

As well as an interview, there are several additional ways to judge a candidate’s potential.  Some of the most common are personality testing, to judge how well a candidate will fit with an organisation’s culture, or asking them to perform a presentation or task.  The latter is especially useful if the successful person will be managing an important project or are supporter-facing.  Why not put them into a real on-the-job situation or problem that they might face in the first few months if they were to be hired?

4. Evaluate a candidate on the wrong factors

One of the most common mistakes interviewers make is to try and find a new recruit with the same traits as successful current employees, or even themselves.  A candidate with a complimentary, rather than identical, personality and skills may well be of greater benefit to the team.

It is also tempting, particularly in the not for profit sector, to favour candidates with winning personalities or an ethical stance similar to the interviewers.  Although it is important to bear cultural fit in mind when interviewing, most successful organisations have a wide range of employees with diverse personalities who excel in different ways.  Hiring a candidate because you enjoyed and liked them, as the main qualification, ignores your need for particular skills and experience.

Similarly, many inexperienced interviewers rely on their ‘gut’ feeling and first impressions.  While intuition can be a useful tool in interviewing, too much reliance on it can lead you to make false assumptions and to read too much into small observations.  For example, a strong or weak handshake is often said to influence interviewers, but actually has no bearing whatsoever on either a candidate’s personality or their ability to perform a role.

5. Fail to sell your organisation

A good candidate will already have researched your organisation, and certainly any candidate sent over by TPP will already be fully briefed and excited about joining.  However, an interview is a two way street and thus it is equally important for you to sell your organisation as it is for a candidate to sell themselves.

By concentrating too much on evaluation, some interviewers miss this opportunity to inspire and enthuse a candidate.  This is particularly important for hard-to-fill roles, where talented employees are in high demand.  Make sure you think through the key attractions of both the role and the organisation and communicate them clearly.

6. Fail to follow up

At the end of an interview, it’s important to do two things.  Firstly, if you feel that this candidate has the right experience and personal qualities, ask them if they are still interested in the role.  It is a simple, direct and above all honest question to ask, and allows you to clearly assess your shortlist going forward.  Secondly, make sure you outline the selection process going forward and let them know when to expect feedback.  This will help manage their expectations after the interview.

Having done that, it is extremely important to follow up on your promises and actually provide interview feedback to all candidates.  This is beneficial to candidates in helping them prepare for future interviews, but also protects and improves your reputation as an employer.  Not receiving constructive feedback is extremely frustrating for candidates and can lead them to have a negative opinion of your organisation which they might share.


All of these mistakes are unfortunately common among interviewers, and can directly influence the probability of hiring a happy, successful employee to benefit your organisation.  However, with some help from TPP and some preparation they can usually be easily overcome.

If you are not 100% confident in your interviewing technique, or would value some impartial advice, our consultants are happy to give advice or help putting together questions designed to rank candidates effectively.
We also offer our clients added services such as attending interviews for candidates to provide a second opinion.  You can find out more on our website.

Lack of interview feedback can damage your donations

Investing some time in developing good recruitment practices, especially supplying detailed feedback following job interviews, can help not for profit organisations improve their brand image and avoid potentially damaging their future funding.

Recent research from a provider of psychometric assessment tests , has shown that half of UK adults have been left with a negative view of an organisation following an unsuccessful job application – and almost 1 in 5 have stopped any dealings with that organisation as a result.  One of the recruitment practices most likely to put candidates off an organisation is a lack of feedback after interviews – 17% of organisations do not supply any form of detailed feedback.

The recent economic downturn means that some organisations have been flooded with applicants for their vacancies, leaving them struggling to provide any form of feedback.  However, providing unsuccessful candidates with proactive and timely feedback following an interview is not only polite and beneficial to the candidates when attending future interviews, but it also improves your organisation’s reputation as an employer and shows that you value those who have shown an interest in working for your organisation and have made a commitment to both apply and attend an interview.

A bad recruitment experience is just as damaging as a bad donor experience, and people are far more likely to discuss negative experiences than positive ones.  Candidates will usually discuss interviews with their friends and family, and are increasingly likely to post comments on social networking websites or blogs.  In this way, negative opinions of your organisation’s brand can spread virally, and could in turn affect your reputation and future incoming donations.

Many retailers and other private sector corporations are starting to take account of the impact of negative interview experiences on their brand and future sales, and reviewing their entire recruitment process as a result. Third sector organisations could do well to follow their example.

The best way to manage a candidate’s recruitment experience is to offer useful comments on their performance as soon as possible after the interview.  Here are TPP’s top tips on providing interview feedback:

• Decide prior to interviews who will be responsible for providing feedback
• Judge the candidate against the previously determined criteria for the role
• Provide specific examples, rather than generalisations
• Be proactive and suggest how the candidate could improve their performance with new skills, knowledge or behaviour
• Focus on behaviour which the applicant can change, rather than things they can do nothing about
• Be sensitive – identifying both strengths and weaknesses can make bad news easier to deliver.  Keep to the point and avoid self-justification
• Remember that according to the Data Protection Act of February 2002, you have a duty to provide candidates with a copy of any notes taken during the interview if requested.
• Finally, consider using a recruitment consultancy to weed through applications and manage your candidates, freeing up your time for more valuable work

If you decide to use TPP Not for Profit to recruit your staff, our consultants will manage the entire recruitment process, including negotiating with successful candidates and passing on your feedback to unsuccessful ones.  TPP’s aim is to support our candidates throughout their career, so we take great pains to give them advice that helps them to improve their interview technique and find their ideal role.

It’s also worth remembering that feedback works both ways.  Both successful and unsuccessful candidates can give you valuable information on your organisation’s brand image and interview process.  TPP will endeavour to make sure you receive any useful comments or opinions throughout the interview process.

Contact your TPP consultant for more help on how you can improve your organisation’s recruitment practices.