Top five recruiting challenges HR professionals face
and how to overcome them

Every HR professional comes up against certain challenges when they are trying to hire new workers. From not receiving resumes from candidates with enough experience to being unable to shift through applications effectively, many recruiters encounter numerous issues with acquiring new employees every day. However, there are some obstacles that many HR professionals must tackle in their search for great talent that are just emerging. These types of issues require HR representatives to adopt specific solutions and strategies if they want to improve their recruiting.

Here are five of these challenges and how to overcome them:

1. The need to make a speedy hire.

   According to an article in HR resource ERE.net, one of the biggest struggles recruiters are starting to encounter is the need to make a quick hire. Many HR professionals had time during the recession to deliberate over candidates' qualifications and conduct multiple rounds of interviews, but competition is heating up once more for great talent. In addition, many companies are growing so fast and need to fill multiple positions at the same time that recruiters no longer have a lot of time to recruit workers.

Solution: HR professionals should examine their recruitment tools, especially their software and employee management strategies. Recruiters can spend a lot of extra time trying to input candidates' information into systems or speaking with managers about the specific requirements of a certain position. Ensuring all of the needed information is already documented and easily accessible can save recruiters some steps and cut down on their recruitment time.

2. Not having enough resources.

   Many HR professionals have to make do with the resources they have, and sometimes there isn't much to work with. While some HR departments are given large budgets to place ads across the Internet so job openings are in the hottest recruitment spots, others may have to use free job boards or take out space in more traditional recruiting channels. This can present big problems with finding qualified candidates.

Solution: Not every department can boost its recruitment budget, but HR professionals are able to examine where the best hires are searching for jobs. Platforms like social media can be great and affordable solutions to this issue for HR professionals, who can use their LinkedIn profiles, for example, to send out information about open positions to others on the social site.

3. Being unable to find the perfect candidate for a certain position.

   HR professionals often see themselves stuck when they aren't receiving resumes from candidates with strong backgrounds or skill sets needed for the position. Even if these recruiters reach out to passive job seekers, they may hit a brick wall in terms of finding the talent they need. This is an all-too-common problem for recruiters, but one that they are starting to face more often as the competition for key performers heats up.

Daniel Ha, founder and CEO of communications firm Disqus, told SmartRecruiters this was a significant problem his company encountered, especially since it had limited resources.

Solution: Ha said his company was able "to strike a great balance between hiring someone for position-need versus hiring someone that's great regardless of position." HR professionals need to get out of the mindset of hiring for a position rather than assembling superstar talent. While recruiters may have to fill a certain position, they should also be open to training and educating talented workers so they can acquire needed skills.

HR representatives can also adjust the position's job description. According to Brazen Careerist, a job description's wording may not correctly explain the position and its needs. Some of the qualifications may not be realistic for the position's true requirements.

4. Understanding and using analytics effectively.

   Big data may be a topic that's old news to many HR professionals, but analytics remains a large challenge for many HR professionals. According to HR Den, being able to sort through and harness data acquired through human resource information systems and other types of technology can be difficult for HR professionals. Making sense of the collected data can be especially tricky.

   Solution: HR professionals should work with data analytics experts or HR solution vendors to understand what various data points mean and how the department can harness them. Recruiters can then create cheat-sheets to help them understand how certain types of information can be used in the future.

5. Finding workers who fit the company culture.

   New hires need to be able to integrate into a team and work well in the company environment, otherwise HR professionals will have to start the talent acquisition process all over again. Jennifer Barbee, founder and CEO of a tourism marketing company, told SmartRecruiters finding workers who fit the company culture was the business's top recruiting challenge. This was an issue as well for Nathan Parcells, founder and CMO of InternMatch, who told SmartRecruiters his team had to let great candidates go because they didn't gel with the team.

Solution: HR professionals should ensure they describe the company culture as best as they can in job descriptions. Displaying the company's mission and aspects of its internal environment can help job seekers understand the organization better, which can ensure only those candidates who may fit well will apply.

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