As the economy continues to improve, one thing is becoming quite clear: it's a candidate's market.  Career Network Beyondrecently released a study which cited it's harder to find qualified candidates than it was six months ago.  But with the number of available candidates on the job market, is this really true? Or, might employers be missing out on qualified candidates because of recruiting biases and mistakes?

Don't Lose Good Candidates to Recruiting Bias

When it was an employer's market, recruiting departments were often so flush with resumes that they had to find any reason to disqualify one good candidate versus another.  This could be any minor infraction from a single punctuation error on their resume to a lack of a timely follow up email.  Recruiters were fast to chuck the candidate's resume in the bin and move onto the next.  But increasingly, recruiting teams are having difficulty hiring good candidates.  Maybe it's time to look at the recruiting biases and mistakes that may be getting in your way.  Before dismissing great candidates for these reasons, let's dig a little deeper to see if they are still relevant:

• Lack of a Follow Up Email. It seems like just good manners to follow up with a thank you email after coming in for an interview.  But there may be a number of reasons why this isn't a good way to judge candidate interest.  What if the candidate's email provider was experiencing problems? What if your email service marked it as spam? A dismissal for a technical issue could cause your team to miss out on a great candidate. What if the problem is deeper than technology? Today's employers are learning to accommodate an entire spectrum of anxiety and autism disorders.  Your candidate may not have followed up with a thank you email because of anxiety and fear. This is a common trait among people with these kinds of disorders, but this doesn't mean they wouldn't make great employees. In this market, instead of jumping to conclusions about interest, try reaching out to the candidate to see if they want to proceed to the next round. You may find they're interested but they simply spilled coffee on their laptop.
• Spelling Errors. Let's face it, sometimes spellcheck doesn't pick up on everything. Spellcheck may not know some of the technical words that are increasingly used on resumes.  Their suggestion for a replacement may not be appropriate. And a candidate could easily miss this prior to sending their resume.  If you're searching for someone in the STEM industry where good candidates are hard to find, do you really want to pass on a systems engineer who codes in 4 languages because they spelled something incorrectly?
• Job Titles that Don't Match Exactly. This is a tricky one. It can be hard for a recruiter to identify whether a candidate would be a good fit from some of the titles that companies dream up. Would a product evangelist be able to do marketing? Or would they be more suited to sales? Is an account manager customer service or is it public relations? Wading through the titles on a resume, recruiters should keep an open mind.  These positions may relate more closely than you think. And if it's a career change altogether, there might be some transferable skills that lead you to believe they'd be a good fit. Think of how paralegals might thrive in HR or teachers might thrive in nonprofits. Keep an open mind when the package doesn't seem to match exactly.
• Nerves. Not everyone is great at interviewing. Our clients often tell us that their candidates are a bundle of nerves when they get on their live video interview.  An interview is a big deal that may cause some people to feel more nervous than others. There is a segment of the population who feel physically ill when they are in a testing or interview environment.  However, this doesn't mean that they don't make great employees.  Once past that initial test, many of these individuals are confident and capable employees.  If nerves is the only thing standing in the way of hiring a candidate, take a chance and you might be surprised at how well they work out!
• A Lack of Keywords in Your Job Description. Some recruiters are looking for an exact match to their laundry list of requirements. You want a marketing pro who can do email marketing? Did you notice they mention advanced email marketing technology? If the candidate isn't a perfect match to your job description's keywords, you may miss someone whose skills match or even exceed your expectations. This is why it's important to ask deeper questions of your candidate. You may find your candidate has more nuanced skills than you imagined.

If your hiring team is having trouble hiring good candidates, it may be worth a review of your recruiting biases. Don't make a mistake that can cost you a good candidate. It's a candidate's market so keep an open mind to remain competitive.