If you’re struggling to find reliable office support staff, the problem may not be a lack of good candidates. More often, it comes down to some common pitfalls in your hiring approach. From unrealistic requirements to clunky hiring processes, here are seven common reasons employers struggle - and what you can do differently.
1. Are you looking for too much in one person?
It’s easy for an office support role to become a wish list. You want someone who can manage the office, support senior leaders, handle accounts, organise events, use five different systems and somehow be available immediately.
Try this instead: Separate your essential requirements from the skills that can be learnt. Focus your job description on what the person will actually spend most of their time doing.
2. Is your salary competitive enough?
Good admin support staff are often in demand, particularly when they have strong systems knowledge, communication skills and experience supporting busy teams.
If your salary is below comparable roles, you may attract applications but struggle to secure the strongest candidates.
Ask yourself: What are similar roles paying locally? Do you really know? Are you offering flexibility, progression or other benefits that genuinely matter to candidates?
3. Is your job description putting people off?
Does your advert explain why someone would want the job - or simply list responsibilities?
A long list of duties, vague language and unrealistic requirements can make a good candidate scroll straight past.
Make it clearer: Explain the team, working environment, priorities and paint a picture of what working for you is like.
4. Are you moving quickly enough?
How long does it take you to go from receiving a CV to making an offer?
If your process involves several interviews, lengthy approval stages and delayed feedback, strong candidates tend to accept another offer first.
A good office support recruitment process should be structured but proportionate. Decide who needs to be involved before you start interviewing and agree how quickly decisions will be made. Create a timeline and stick to it.
5. Are you relying too heavily on CVs?
A CV can tell you where someone has worked. It doesn’t necessarily tell you whether they are organised, dependable, adaptable or able to deal calmly with competing priorities.
Look beyond job titles. Use practical and competency-based interview questions and, where appropriate, skills testing to understand how candidates actually work.
6. Are you standing out for candidates in a crowded market?
Office, business and administrative skills are transferable. Someone who looks ideal for your vacancy will also be considering several other opportunities.
This is where specialist business support recruitment can help. A good recruiter understands the candidate market and can advise you on salary, availability and which requirements may be limiting your search.
Our case studies highlight the importance of tailored recruitment solutions rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
7. Are you trying to recruit alone when the market is challenging?
If you’re receiving unsuitable CVs, struggling to reach top candidates or repeatedly restarting your search, it may be time to get specialist help.
A specialist office support recruitment agency can help you refine the brief, benchmark the role, identify suitable candidates and manage the process more efficiently.
How can you improve your chances of hiring reliable office support staff?
Before advertising, check:
- Is the salary realistic for the market?
- Are the essential requirements genuinely essential?
- Does the advert explain what makes the role worthwhile?
- Can you interview and make decisions quickly?
- Are you assessing reliability and practical skills, not just experience?
Getting these basics right can make a significant difference to the quality of candidates you attract and how long they stay.
If you’re hiring office support staff in London or elsewhere in the UK, get in touch to find out how we make the hard-to-find easy to hire.