Recruiters don’t always get it right. Here are the top ten complaints heard when the recruitment process with an agency goes wrong. These complaints are often valid, though the reasons behind them may be more complex than is apparent. We know, however, that the right preparation, the right tools, and the right mindset can solve all of these recruiting issues.

1. Lack of Quality

The top complaint that hiring managers have about recruiters is that they are unable to provide a high-quality shortlist of candidates. There are lots of reasons why this might be true. Some of the other complaints below contribute to the overall feeling that the recruiter simply hasn’t supplied the promised quality candidates.

2. Lack of Shortlisting

Hiring managers often feel that the recruiter is focused on quantity over quality. The recruiter appears to throw potential candidates at the wall until one of them sticks. Unfortunately, this is too often true. Increasing the numbers of candidates might seem to increase the chances of finding a good one, but this isn’t always the case, it increases the work for hiring managers, and wastes time and money on all sides.

3. Lack of Understanding

Sometimes poor quality applicants are the results of the recruiter’s lack of understanding of the company, the industry, and the candidates.

While no recruiter can understand all the nuts and bolts of every industry and organization, they are expected to educate themselves to perform their job for all clients. They often disappoint.

4. Lack of Candidate Preparation

There is frequently a perception that the recruiter has not adequately engaged the candidate in how to prepare for the interview process. Candidates often arrive for interviews without understanding the role they are applying for or the environment in which they will be working.

5. Over-reliance on Keywords

If a recruiter is relying too much on keywords, they are overlooking other factors that help people decide whether a candidate is right for a role, such as how they might fit into or change the company culture, their interests, or their long-term goals.

6. A Lack of Transparency

A lack of transparency in the recruiters’ process can also be a source of frustration for hiring managers. When recruiters use industry jargon, hiring managers can feel like they’re in the dark. It can result in misunderstanding and poor results.

7. Lack of Engagement

Hiring managers often complain that they feel as though they are doing all the heavy lifting to get quality candidates in the door. It can feel as though they are doing the recruiters’ jobs for them and that with the right tools they could be doing be taking care of the recruitment process themselves.

8. Too Slow

Hiring managers often have an immediate need for the new hire, and feel the need to intervene to speed up the process. A poor recruiter will not have the sense of urgency that their clients possess.

9. Lack of Ownership

Hiring the right candidates is critical to a business’s success. A business is nothing without its staff. Recruiters are often seen as being dispassionate or indifferent, however, because they have so many clients for whom they are seeking candidates.

10. Lack of Interest from Candidates

Finally, if the finish line comes into view, and an offer is extended, it can be frustrating for a hiring manager when the candidate doesn’t bite on the offer. It can seem that the recruiter has sent a candidate that didn’t want the job after all.

In addition, poor numbers of interested candidates overall can reflect that the business is not being accurately marketed by the recruiter. It’s not only necessary to deliver the right messages to potential candidates, but also to communicate in the right places.