When the time comes to grow your company or your team, it’s easy to slip up and get stuck with a new employee who is a bad match. A great many factors play into acquiring a new employee, but there are three common hiring mistakes that everyone should be aware of.
Hiring the personality instead of the person.
Many business owners don’t hire based on the prospect’s strengths, weaknesses or even their perceived skill, they hire people like themselves. Humans are typically uncomfortable with individuals who fall outside of their sphere of normality. It could be as simple as liking a different sports team or as minute as favoring tea to coffee. Feeling comfortable with someone doesn’t mean that they’re the right person for the job. Add an employee to your organization, not a new best friend. If they have more knowledge or experience than you do, fight that discomfort and hire the best person for the job.
Neglecting the homework.
I’m going to tell you a secret: People lie on resumes.
If you are narrowing down your list of candidates, you should start by ensuring that their skills are in sync with the job that they want. That means looking at their resume, and checking that the information is correct. Do they actually have the degrees and certifications that they claim? Don’t stop there, perform a thorough interview in which they have to prove to you that they know what they claim. Don’t be afraid to give them an audition piece, just to see if they know what they are doing.
Picking low hanging fruit.
A lot of times I hear, “there are no good people out there,” as a way to justify a shoddy hire. Owners will pick up a sub-par employee because they need a body to fill a seat, then they are stuck with what still amounts to an empty seat. Since most business owners don’t have the skills to find and hire good people they think there are none to be found. They settle for average or poor employees.
If you believe you can’t find good people, then you won’t find good people.
Have a list of 8-12 make or break necessities on your desk when interviewing. As soon as one question is answered wrong (background, pay requirements, hours available, skills, education) end the interview. If you don’t then you will try to talk yourself into hiring the wrong person. Don’t hope or assume that they will work out, don’t think about the additional work you are having to do. Just focus on finding a good fit.
At Cogent Analytics, we never stop looking for ways to improve your business and neither should you. So, check out some of our other posts for helpful business information:
