How to Avoid Making a Bad Hiring Decision

Bad hiring decisions come back to haunt managers again and again. Whether it’s the employee who turns around and ruins the morale of the rest of their team, the one who quits without notice during your busy season and leaves you in a lurch, or the one who consistently loses your money in their grinding, everyday incompetence, the results of a bad hire can drag on and on. And the cost of a bad hire can equal 30% of the employee’s annual salary, a very real reminder of the hazards of poor hiring.

Can you avoid making a bad hiring decision? Not always. After all, people change, industries evolve, and the right person at one time might not be the same a year or even a month down the road. But you can make much better decisions on the whole, and learn to avoid some of the biggest pitfalls.

Take your time.

Yes, you need to fill the role. Yes, your team is overwhelmed. But that’s no reason to settle if you haven’t found anybody suitable for the role. Better to take your time, hiring a temp to help cover the workload if need be, and hire the right person instead of the first person that comes along.

Avoid snap decisions.

Many managers say they “listen to their gut” when hiring. They often state that they know as soon as someone walks in the door whether they’ll hire them or not. While they think this means they have a uniquely keen intuition, it’s usually a result of hiring people for likability, rather than suitability. This can lead to a cliquish atmosphere and often limits diversity in the workplace, resulting in less creativity, reduced effectiveness, and lower performance in the workplace overall.

Hire for growth.

If you want someone to stay with your business for more than a year or two, you need to think not just about the person they are now, but the person they’ll be down the road. Is there someone who seems fantastic for the role, but needs some training on some important software? Does an applicant seem to be on a career trajectory (whether linear or not) that lines up with where you see the role heading in the future?

Even if someone seems overqualified, find out where they want to be headed. If they’re looking for something less stressful where they can accrue more vacation time, see if that’s where this position will lead them. Make a habit of looking beyond your immediate needs.

Hire for fit, not for perfection.

Job suitability is a combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes, habits, preferences, qualities, and connections. Every SuperApplicant has their Kryptonite, and that’s both normal and expected. The trick is to match up the right combination with the right position. The qualities of a great customer service agent are different from the qualities of a great pipefitter. An amazing reference librarian and an amazing children’s librarian may be very different people. Selling the job to your Dream Applicant without considering fit can leave both of you disappointed.

Need help with hiring?

We’ve got a tool for that. Download The Benefits of Scientific Hiring to learn more.