Avoid Hiring The Wrong Person

All organizations, regardless of their size, could use a refresher course in hiring. Even experienced human resources professionals will benefit from a few reminders about good hiring practices. No matter how many individuals your organization has hired over the years, bad hires still happen. Perhaps a manager was in a hurry to hire to fill an important opening. Or, your staff hired someone because an employee knew the applicant, and they seemed nice enough. Or, a so-so candidate was hired even though the person doing the hiring knew that they could do better if they only kept looking. And the list goes on.

The accompanying infographic, Are You Making These 7 Hiring Mistakes, presents statistics showing the serious consequences of hiring mistakes. Almost three out of every four employees admit to hiring the wrong person for a position, a figure that is astounding. Considering the time spent in the job search and the financial costs of a wrong hire, that adds up to a whole lot of wasted time and money.

A bad hire is more than a financial mistake. Bad hires negatively impact overall employee morale. Supervisors spend too much time managing employees who cannot perform up to the standards of the job; bad hires may not get along with their coworkers; and employees lose confidence in the ability of those doing the hiring. Bad hires either realize they are a bad fit and leave voluntarily, or they may get fired because they can’t do the job. Either way, you are soon in the position of having to hire all over again.

How can you improve your organization’s hiring process? Follow the infographic’s advice! Don’t skip any of the important steps in the hiring process. Attempting to hire someone quickly may lead your human resources department to neglect pre-employment screening and/or background checks. They may be using templated job descriptions that don’t thoroughly describe the position and your company culture.

Mistakes can be made during the interview process, too. Asking “easy” questions or deciding to hire someone because the interviewer likes them personally can lead to bad hires. Yes, personality is important in getting along in the organization, but it shouldn’t override the ability to perform the job.

The biggest takeaway from the infographic is that taking the time to hire correctly, even if it means a delay in filling the position, is the best way to go. The right candidate will appear at some point, even if you have to re-open the job search process. A little extra time spent in finding the best person overrides the amount of time and money wasted in the future because of a bad hire.

The infographic should be required reading for anyone in your organization who is involved in the hiring process.