No Bad Hires

6 key mistakes when interviewing and hiring employees

The initial interview is like a first date, with subsequent interviews much like second and third dates. You liked what you saw initially, so you decide to spend more time with the candidate. You hope additional time together helps you decide if you belong together or not. You both seek a good match – you to the candidate, the candidate to the job. You enter into the business relationship expecting and hoping for a successful “marriage.” Like dating and marriage, sometimes hiring a new employee goes horribly wrong. A recent poll I conducted revealed that when asked, “have you hired someone you wish you hadn’t” – 57% said they had in the past year and another 26% said they had in the past two years. You are in good company if it has happened to you.

A closer look at certain behaviors and thinking shows the parallels of these two situations.

Mistake #1: You’re Not Sure What You’re Looking For - It’s hard to find that “perfect one” without a vision of what you are looking for. Gather information on who has been successful (and unsuccessful) in the position before and compare your candidates to this “benchmark.” This increases the chances that the candidate you liked in the interview is the employee you want and need.

Mistake #2: You’re Too Desperate - It is hard to make a non-emotional and wise hiring (or dating) decision when desperation creeps into your thinking. In both cases, picking the wrong person can have an emotional and financial toll.

By Jennifer Leake

Executive Summary:

If February is indeed the “Month of Love” consider that interviewing and selecting new employees has some of the same pitfalls that dating and marriage do.

Jennifer Leake, CMC is with Assessment Pros in Roanoke. Reach her at jennifer@assessment pros.com Mistake #3: You Talk Too Much About Yourself - Even in a tough job market, your purpose in the interview is to learn as much as you can about the person you are thinking of hiring. It is not to win their approval or convince them to please take your job.

Mistake #4: You Fall in Love Too Fast - Using employee assessments offers objective data to supplement or support your experience and “gut” in hiring. Assessments bring objectivity, consistency and thoroughness to the interview process - something you can’t do on your own.

Mistake #5: You Believe Everything You’re Told - Be skeptical and consider outside resources such as background check services or an Attitude assessment to measure things like integrity, honesty, hostility and substance abuse.

Mistake #6: You Think You Can Change Them Later - Don’t put a square peg in a round hole. Hiring people with the right experience or education doesn’t ensure job success. Hire people with the right attitude and “job fit” for you and your job – and then train them with the skill and knowledge they need to do well.