Hiring decisions are among the most important decisions you will make as a manager. In fact, a single bad hiring decision—especially at a senior level— can send ripples throughout an organization, affecting employee morale, financial stability, and overall performance.
To add to your risks, hiring decisions are highly visible. Your superiors and peers assess you in part by the quality of the people who work for you. Arguably, the success of the people you hire will determine how successful you are as a manager.
And let’s not overlook the financial impact of a bad hiring decision.
The costs associated with severance, recruiting and onboarding a new person, and lost opportunities while the position remains vacant can be significant.
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While hiring mistakes can never be completely avoided, there are errors that occur repeatedly. Here are the ones I see happen most often.
1. Conducting the interview process without clearly defining the job duties. Isn’t it obvious that if you do not know what you are looking for, the risk of hiring the wrong person is high? A well-written job description will identify duties and responsibilities, reporting relationships, qualifications, technical skills and personal qualities needed. It will also allow you to prepare interview questions in advance that you will ask of all candidates.
2. Judging candidates quickly. We all tend to form impressions quickly, but the reality is that you should seek out both positive and negative information and wait until you have completed the interview before deciding.
3. Accepting resume information at face value. Unfortunately, some candidates will misrepresent or embellish the details on their resumes. Before making a job offer, you should verify all employment details, including positions held and dates of employment, as well as all educational details.
4. Rushing to hire. With today’s labour shortages, it’s tempting to hire the first person who comes along and meets the requirements. But jumping too quickly can be a trap. Getting the right person for the job will more than make up for any inconveniences your team suffers in the short term. Take the time you need to hire properly.
5. Making the hiring decision based only on the interview. No question, the interview is the most important part of the hiring process. However, it does fail to consider valuable information gathered from other sources. Thorough reference checks, completion of personality assessment tests, and role-playing, all provide complementary evidence that will validate (or refute) the impression you have from the face-to-face interview.
6. Ignoring soft skills. Technical skills and qualifications are easier to evaluate, but soft skills like problem-solving and communication are often more critical on the job. Incorporate questions and scenarios that assess these competencies.
7. Lack of diversity. A diverse hiring panel will bring different views and hopefully avoid unconscious biases. Similarly, including existing team members will provide perspectives on how well the candidate will fit with the team.
8. Overvaluing experience. While experience is important, don’t overlook a candidate’s long-term potential. Sometimes, a less experienced candidate with high potential and the right attitude can be a better long-term fit.
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A final thought: Remember that hiring is a two-way street. Top candidates may have multiple options, so don’t forget to explain to them why your company and the role present excellent opportunities.