Making a bad hire can be costly in so many ways. The amount of time and resources needed to attract, select, train, and retain top talent creates so much added pressure to an already stressful task. Although we may find several candidates that look like a perfect fit on the surface level, it's important that we slow down to ensure the right steps are taken before we pull the trigger.
Although there is no way to be 100% certain that the candidate is going to be EXACTLY what we need and will stay with us for years to come, we can, however, take the appropriate steps to ensure we minimize our risks during the recruitment process.
1. Identify Your Gaps.
In order to identify the 'who', we need to take a step back and evaluate the bigger picture. A great way to approach this is by mapping out your organizational goals and establish the areas where your business is falling short. For example, if you are looking to up your marketing efforts and increase performance, we will look at what the team currently has vs. what it doesn't. Say you currently have a team that creates great content but lacks the skills needed to ensure this content hits peak performance, we have successfully identified our first gap. We then will look at the skills required to successfully fill our gap. It's with these skills that we can successfully identify our 'who' and create a job profile tailored to fill these gaps.
2. We Don't Hire on Skills Alone.
Of course, the skills component is a major key in filling our business gaps, there are some other factors we need to consider as well. Hiring for skills alone can sometimes have a deterrent effect and can result in a lower retention rate. Why you might ask? Well, organizational fit and having the right attitude is another key factor in finding a good hire.
If I had the choice between a candidate that might be lacking some of the skills I need but has a hunger for learning and a great team spirit, I am 100% going to take that candidate over the fully qualified candidate with a bad attitude. Finding a candidate that is a good culture fit for your organization and excited to be there, is without a doubt going to give you better results long term.
3. Take Your Time.
Hiring for the sake of just filling a role is NEVER the way to approach things. Although many of us have been in situations in which we are pressed for time, it is important to always ensure hiring is never rushed and shortcuts are never taken. We need to stop and think about how quick decisions can affect our bottom line. Quick decisions can cost time, money, and create a lost opportunity if we make the wrong decision too quickly.
4. NO ONE is Perfect.
I am not saying these candidates don't exist, but the reality is they are few and very far between. If there are areas we can bend on to find a candidate who is willing and eager to learn, it is proven that these candidates yield far better retention rates longer term. The longer we wait for these 'perfect fits', the more money and resources we continue to waste.
5. Trust Your Instinct.
99.999% of the time, your gut is never wrong. When choosing between 2 or 3 great candidates, factor in what your internal instincts are saying. When interviewing a high volume of candidates, we tend to get a pretty good idea of who will fit and who won't. There is never a perfect formula but for some candidates, we just get that 'feeling' and we know. Trust that feeling.
6. Mistakes are Ok.
We have all made recruiting mistakes at one time or another over the years. Mistakes are ok as long as we learn from them and never make the same mistakes twice. If we have made a decision on a bad hire, reflect back on why that candidate didn't work out and how that decision was made. Was it rushed? Was it the wrong profile? Was it a lack of experience or a bad attitude? Reflect on where the error was made and strategize what can be changed going forward to never make the same mistake twice.
So in summary, here's what I'm saying. Slow down, take your time, and trust your instincts.
"All good things come to those who wait." - Paullina Simons.
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