Electronic Recruiting Exchange (ERE) and Dr. John Sullivan recently surveyed hundreds of corporate recruiters in the ERE network, on Twitter, and at the recent SMA symposium in Seattle on this humorous, self-debasing topic. The recruiters were given a list of 30 "dumbest things recruiters do" from which to choose. Here were the top ten…

10. Poor Recruiting Presentation (graphics, website presentation, etc.). Potential applicants assume that the company puts its best foot forward when it comes to recruiting. So when they compare your dull presentation with your competitor’s more compelling presentation, they will simply apply elsewhere.

9. Not taking advantage of referrals. The best-practice firms approach 50% referral hires (the percentage of all external hires who come from referrals). Failing to fully use referrals means that you will miss out on a large number of high-quality pre-screened, and pre-sold candidates.

8. Not learning about your competitors. Obviously, if you can’t speak “their language” and you don’t understand their problems, it will be more difficult to communicate with, to sell, and to build relationships with candidates.

7. Treating all candidates the same. Higher-level agents require a different level of service, knowledge, and relationship-building. So, using the same process that you use for lower-level candidates will result in fewer returned calls, a higher candidate dropout rate, and lower-quality hires.

6. Not striking while the iron's hot. When a crisis occurs in the lives of your best prospects, the best candidates are gone quickly. A drawn-out process or slow decision-making means losing the best.

5. Assuming interviews are accurate. Interviews are traditionally weak predictors, but poorly executed interviews dramatically increase the chances of making a major hiring error. Poorly designed interviews may also turn off top candidates.

4. Lack of focus on revenue. Focusing on candidates who will have minimal revenue impact will reduce business (P&L) results. Think like a businessperson–focus on the candidates who will produce the most company dollar for your company.

3. Not identifying "ideal agent" criteria. If you don't know what you're looking for, it is difficult to recognize it when it when it becomes available. Many hiring managers just pay attention to the candidates who are easiest to engage.

2. Not tailoring your recruiting marketing and candidate-selling approaches to the decision criteria of top candidates. Because the most talented agents have choices, they will simply wait until an opportunity comes along that precisely fits their requirements and expectations.

and the #1 dumb thing that recruiters do…

1. Not managing the candidate experience. The candidate experience is the perception of the sum of interactions with an organization throughout the hiring process. It includes every communication, the design of the process, the fairness of process elements, the quality of information exchanged, and the honesty with which questions and concerns are addressed. Providing a poor candidate experience can have many negative consequences, including an increased candidate dropout rate, negative word-of-mouth, and decreased loyalty to the overall brand.

While this survey was focused on corporate recruiters, it is amazing how many of these issues directly apply to the real estate recruiting process, particularly the #1 dumb thing that recruiters do… As we've highlighted in recent WorkPuzzle posts, poor follow-up after the interview is the most common symptom of poor recruiting results.

I guess it could be said that recruiting is…recruiting, no matter what industry you find yourself working. And the principles that produce results– managing perceptions, knowing what you're looking for, maintaining focus on desired outcomes, and treating people with respect– are surprisingly similar.

Make sure you're not one of the hiring managers who makes the mistake of believing these pitfalls don't apply to you. You may find yourself contributing to a list of the ten dumbest things that real estate recruiters and hiring managers do…

Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.