Companies, hiring managers, recruiters, HR departments alike complain about: the lack of talent, having too many candidates or not enough candidates, not having their jobs posted on enough job boards, struggling to find the candidate who is proficient in several coding languages, wanting an entry level hire with three years of experience, and needing to hire fast but not having an organized, well-defined, and streamlined hiring process. Here’s what I think:

Stop

Stop complaining about all the flaws and inconsistencies with hiring. Sometimes the job description is not written well or it’s unclear what the job is. Hiring managers sometimes want applicants to have more skills than are necessary or expect entry-level employees to have three years of experience. These things do hinder or make the hiring process more difficult, but it doesn’t help to complain.

Stop using processes that are inefficient or make it difficult to collaborate. If you are still using email, excel, and/or google docs to organize your hiring then it is time to get an ATS. Figure out a tool that can help you streamline and organize your hiring process. Stop using an antiquated system. When you are using a system that is outdated, inefficient, and confusing to follow-up then it’ll give you more things to complain about and we’ve already decided you need to stop complaining.

 Do

Hire! Whether you are an HR Department, a recruiter, or a small start-up (without an HR department) the main goal of hiring is to hire. To hire great people in an efficient manner. Do hire great, talented employees and do not take too long to do so. Whatever helps you hire good employees, do that. Whatever helps you make sure you know who you are hiring and they are a good culture fit, do that! Basically, do whatever works well and be happy it has good results.

 Fix

Fix your inefficient hiring process. Fix your lack of collaboration with clients, team members, and potential employees/candidates. Fix your attitude; candidates, clients, and other colleagues can tell when you are not invested in or uninterested in the hiring process. Others can tell when you are frustrated. Fix your mindset, be positive, and fix the language you use on the phone, in meetings, and in emails.

Fix misunderstandings and miscommunication. Hiring can be confusing, especially when there are a lot of people involved or a company is very bureaucratic. It’s important to make sure all communication and processes are clear. The worst things to happen to a hiring process and to a candidate is to not provide clear or accurate information about what is going on. Thus, if you have communication issues, fix them.

Stop complaining, just hire. There are ways to improve your process and create a strategy. Instead of complaining about all the things wrong try to fix those things, and do more of what goes right. We all need to evaluate our hiring process consistently. When you hear yourself or your colleagues complaining, it’s probably time to adjust and refresh your hiring process. When you find yourself frustrated, even after you’ve made a successful hire--it’s probably time to reevaluate your hiring process to make sure it’s optimized. When you are complaining, it’s time to stop complaining and just hire!