In my November 30 post, I told a surprisingly true story of an encounter with an HR person from hell and how the mere mention of the company’s name now makes me shudder. Below I’ve outlined some suggestions on how HR needs to approach the hiring process to avoid tarnishing the company’s brand. Some of these seem incredibly obvious…but apparently not to some HR folks here in South Florida!

1. Write a clear job description. This should be a no-brainer, but I can’t tell you how many listings I read that are laden with vagaries, typos and obscure acronyms. Conversely, some companies use such lengthy job descriptions that they seem as if they’re meant for an entire department. If you have certain requirements such as years of experience or degrees, ensure that the description matches the job summary or headings. There’s nothing more annoying than reading a heading with a required 1-3 years experience and then reading 3-5 years further into the description. I can’t tell you how often this happens. Attention to detail, people!
2. Send paperwork before or after the interview. Don’t you just love arriving at an interview and meeting a clipboard stacked with forms for the first half hour or so? Sometimes I’m too nervous to remember the zip code of the address I lived at 7 years ago or other miniscule facts. Please let us fill out your forms on our own time so we can be more accurate and less rushed. If we’re interested in the job, I can assure you forms will be sent/mailed/emailed back to you. A wonderful company I recently interviewed with used this method and it made the process much easier.
3. Ask for references at the appropriate time. My references are very busy people. I have a big problem with companies that ask you to provide references along with your resume or application. You haven’t met me, you don’t know if you’ll like me, but you want to check my references? I personally hang on to my references tight and will not permit any calls without my knowledge. The appropriate time to ask for references is during or after an interview when both parties express a mutual interest. Any job listing that asks for references from the get-go seems like some sort of phishing scam. If you want to get a feel for me before meeting, check out my LinkedIn profile.
4. Be on time! Even though we are looking for a job, we still have places to be and people to see. Some of us may even have a job while we’re looking for a job. I once waited a total of 45 minutes before and in between various stages of an interview. I was starving and thirsty, plus my son had belt testing for Tae Kwon Do after school that I couldn’t miss. They did allow me to reschedule the last part of my interview, but I was already so turned off that I really just went back to brush up on my interviewing skills.
5. Business casual at a minimum, please! Job candidates that have a clue will wear a good suit to an interview. If your staff greets me in jeans, a threadbare faded company polo shirt and sneakers, I’m going to feel pretty uncomfortable and question your company’s professionalism from the get-go. It’s really not that hard to put on khakis, loafers and a crisp tucked-in shirt with a belt. Save the low-maintenance look for the company picnic.
6. Know your company brand. I recently had an interview where the HR rep was completely unaware of one of their business offerings. If your HR staff doesn’t know the “who, what, where, why and how” of your company, you are doing a huge disservice to everyone involved. Consider training sessions with marketing, public relations and/or corporate communications to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
7. Don’t assume anything. An incredibly tactful HR person once asked me why my previous company went out of business. It actually is still going strong…I just chose to move out of the area. There are about 100 other more pleasant ways to ask why I no longer work at Company XYZ. These types of presumptive questions just scream “negative work environment.”
8. Attitude matters. Why is it that some HR folks don’t know how to act at an interview? HR is basically a huge gateway to your brand. Many times HR is the first and last interaction a job seeker will have with your company. Positive, personable employees that enjoy working for you are a must. If the interviewer is really miserable at their job, then I assume I’ll be miserable there as well.
9. Follow up! It is disappointing to go through the hiring process and not hear anything back from the potential employer. I know how to take a hint; however, we take time to write a perfect cover letter, prepare for the interview and send out thank you notes. Your company should have enough courtesy to let us know if we’re not the right fit. There’s nothing worse than having your follow-up emails and phone calls ignored. Even if it is just a generic email, we need some type of closure.
10. Remember, it’s a two-way street. Yes, the economy stinks and unemployment is in the double digits. This does not mean that your company can overlook items 1-9 because you believe anyone will take whatever you have to offer regardless of HR’s professionalism. Job seekers are interviewing you too, and the top-notch candidates are not going to ever be interested in working for you if your HR department is not in line with your brand. It’s important to think beyond the recession when quality employees could be at a premium.