Whether it is your first hire or your 100th – the same rules apply.

The recruitment game is an expensive business. One of the biggest myths around is that you’re simply paying the cost of someone’s salary. As it turns out, you also have to foot the bill for HR fees, tax and a whole host of other costs that tend to not be spoken about.

Unfortunately, recruitment is a tricky beast. It’s very easy to make a bad hire, and the consequences of this can be very costly.

Today’s article will now mull over some of the main mistakes made whilst recruiting, which might preserve your cash reserves and patience through the whole process.

Mistake #1 – You don’t need to hire

Before you even advertise this role, ask yourself if you really need to recruit.

A common mistake made a by a lot of companies, the young ones in particular, is that as soon as some extra budget becomes available they are ready to part with their cash and start a recruitment drive.

Quite often, this isn’t necessary. Instead, think carefully about whether or not there is a void that needs filling within your organization, or if a restructure might be a more efficient method.

Mistake #2 – You don’t go with your gut instinct

There’s no doubt that if you follow most recruitment guides, there will be a heavy emphasis on following logic. In other words, think with your head during the process – and this is completely the right advice to follow.

At the same time, there’s a lot that can be said about following your gut instinct as well. A potential recruit may have provided textbook answers, and give you the perfect response to every question you have posed. If something still doesn’t sit right though, don’t be afraid of moving onto someone else. After all, this is a big expense, and you have to make sure this person is 100% right for you and your company to manage.

Method #3 – You don’t do due diligence

Nowadays, there’s far more than just a basic interview during the recruitment process – and it’s for very good reason.

After all, you might be sold the dream by a candidate during an interview, but in reality they’re not up for the job.

How can you perform your due diligence? You might need to set a task and ask them to present their findings to you, while some companies will even ask someone to come in for a day’s trial. It is here where you really can find out how good a candidate really is.

Mistake #4 – You make the right hire, but don’t do enough to keep them

What’s almost as bad as making the wrong hire? Not keeping the right people.

If you have avoided the above mistakes and employed someone who is worth their weight in gold, your next stage is doing your utmost to keep them.

This might mean giving more responsibility, promotion opportunities or even offering team building events in the capital which can align everyone in your team a little more.

Regardless, employee retention is a huge deal.