Recruitment controversies: 5 mistakes HR professionals make

In recent days, social media has been filled with controversies involving HR professionals and the way in which recruitment for companies is carried out.

Recruitment controversies of recent weeks

Node last October 20th, the Public Prosecutor's Office of Rio Grande do Sul began investigating a discriminatory audio recording of an employee at a pharmacy in the region, who told other employees to be careful when selecting people who were fat, tattooed, or LGBTQIA+.

The problem is that, for some reason, this audio was leaked and went viral on all social networks, with people outraged by the situation.

Another case, which happened on October 16th, concerns a woman who sent her resume to a company's WhatsApp and was mistreated for making mistakes in Portuguese.

At the time, the store employee corrected the mistakes in a mocking manner and suggested that the person who sent the message take a course before looking for a job.

Two embarrassing situations, right?

The problem is that these events brought to light that many Human Resources professionals have stopped in time and have not evolved as much as they should have.

The world has changed, and the expectation for this area of activity is that people are accepted as they are, in their diversity.

Prejudice, discrimination and mistreatment of those who are different are out of fashion – because one day it was normal – and those who do not adopt it need to study and learn how to deal with all people.

Have you ever felt discriminated against in a job interview?

In the lines below, you may identify some things in common with everyday situations.

5 mistakes HR professionals make

Not understanding that the world has changed

As we mentioned in the previous paragraphs, the world has changed and, consequently, the human resources department should have changed too and started to accept what is different.

For a long time, people have been judged by their appearance and this paradigm shift has been happening with increasing force, in all areas of society.

Ignoring this is ignoring the representation that exists in the world, a representation that brands need to have every day.

There are many stories in the media of people who were questioned during recruitment because of their curly hair, tattoos, and even their skin tone.

This no longer exists – and never should have existed.

A company's Human Resources team needs to pay attention to what is most precious to their area: human beings.

Requiring unnecessary knowledge for the role

Another common point that is still undergoing taboo breaking is the requirement for knowledge that will never be used in the role.

Some examples are: high level of English proficiency; techniques that could be easily learned; previous experience in internship or junior positions.

These are just a few examples of the absurdities that go into recruiting and selection processes at some companies. Unfortunately, many HR professionals still make these types of demands.

It is clear that establishing the knowledge required for a given role must be a joint effort between the HR professional and the company's management, with the responsible sectors.

Therefore, everyone has a share of responsibility when it comes to establishing the ideal situation for that hiring. In short: everyone needs to review their concepts and the new market reality.

Treating the interested party as if they had no choice

There are still companies and HR professionals who treat candidates as inferior.

How is this treatment established?

The tone of the messages, the approach, the responses given, always placing the company as a superior being and the candidate below.

There was a time when it was common to be like this. A professionally satisfied person was someone who was “registered” in a company, answering to a boss, without much authority or much opinion.

Today, with so many types of jobs, and with the increased possibility of being a self-employed professional, for example, many people no longer see the need to work within a company.

And the opposite is also true: many people who prefer to work within companies specialize in order to become a thinking being in the place where they will work, and not just an operational employee.

And when it comes to operational employees, they are also essential parts of the machinery of a solid company.

In other words: reducing the number of people when selecting them is a big mistake for HR professionals.

Ideally, everyone should be treated as someone important for the role they can play in the company, and no less than that.

To diminish someone for not having certain knowledge

Following the line of reasoning of the previous topic, treating a person differently simply because they do not have certain knowledge is also a common mistake made by bad HR professionals.

As stated in the previous lines, this cannot be a reason for someone to be treated badly.

The HR professional has the role of selecting and, when he or she is well trained, he or she understands the essential steps for each role, as well as friendly ways to explain when a person did not make it to the next stage.

And then, there is another point in question: excessive amounts of phases, without need.

Do not give feedback

Leaving a candidate waiting for a response is not at all polite and also leaves a bad impression about the company. The HR professional needs to be aware of this and be prepared to respond to everyone while planning the selection process.

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