Let’s face it—recruitment is hard enough without shooting yourself in the foot.

But too many hiring teams fall into the same traps again and again.
Bad habits. Sloppy processes. Outdated tactics.
And the price? Slower hiring, poor candidate experience, and lost talent to faster-moving competitors.

We see it every week. So, let’s call it out.
Here are the 7 biggest recruiting sins—and what to do instead.

1. The Ghost Recruiter 👻

You interview… and then vanish. No feedback. No closure.
🔁 Candidates ghost you right back—and your brand reputation takes the hit.

We get it. You're busy. But ghosting isn't just bad manners—it damages your employer brand. Candidates remember how you made them feel. And if they feel ignored, guess what they tell their network?

✅ Instead: Build in structured follow-ups. Even a “no update yet” is better than radio silence.

2. The “Copy-Paste” JD 🥴

"Looking for a rockstar ninja with a passion for synergy..."
No. Just no.

Buzzword soup and stale job ads are guaranteed to repel great candidates. They don’t tell anyone what the job actually is or why they should care.

✅ Instead: Be real. Be specific. Focus on outcomes, challenges, and what success looks like.

3. The Silent Pipeline 📭

“Just checking in” isn’t communication—it’s noise.
Silence = rejection in the candidate’s mind, even if you didn’t say it.

Lack of updates = lack of trust. And in a market where candidates are juggling multiple processes, that means you’re the first to get ghosted.

✅ Instead: Keep candidates warm with status updates, insights, or a simple next step. Don’t leave them guessing.

4. The “Spray & Pray” Sourcing 🤖

Using ChatGPT to mass message every profile on LinkedIn?
Congrats, you sound like everyone else.

Outreach that feels generic gets ignored. Candidates know when they’re one of 500.

✅ Instead: Personalise. Reference something relevant. Keep it short, sharp, and human.

5. The Interview Marathon ⏳

Six rounds for a mid-level role? Unless you’re hiring for NASA… stop.

Too many steps = friction. Too many interviewers = conflicting opinions. And while you're aligning diaries, your top candidate just accepted another offer.

✅ Instead: Define a tight, role-appropriate process. Cut unnecessary rounds. Empower your team to make confident, data-backed decisions.

6. The Freestyle Interview 🎤

No rubric. No structure. Just vibes.
And now you’ve got five interviewers with five different opinions.

This isn’t American Idol. Inconsistent feedback leads to confusion, delays, and bad hires.

✅ Instead: Use scorecards. Align on what “good” looks like. Assess against the same criteria every time.

7. The Vague Role Vortex 🌀

You didn’t clearly define the job… and now you’re attracting the wrong talent.
Misaligned expectations = wasted interviews.

Too often, hiring managers rush to fill a req without aligning on what success looks like. That lack of clarity trickles down into poor JD copy, confused candidates, and interviews that feel like guesswork.

✅ Instead: Start with alignment. Get crystal clear on responsibilities, outcomes, and the skills that matter most.

Time to Clean Up the Sins

No judgement—we’ve all been there. But if you recognise yourself in any of these, it’s time for a reset.

At Screenloop, we help teams:

✅ Run structured interviews with scorecards that auto-fill
✅ Keep candidates informed with real-time status updates
✅ Eliminate admin with AI Notetaker & one-click scheduling
✅ Align hiring teams with data-backed insights

Recruitment doesn’t need to be chaotic. You just need the right tools—and a little self-awareness.

So… which sin are you guilty of?