We often question when we hire the wrong person, how did it go so wrong? Working in recruitment and hiring for my own team, hindsight often tells me where it all went wrong. Find our Top 5 reasons ‘why you didn’t hire the best’:
1. Time
We often hire someone when the need to hire for that role is past urgent. This creates a scramble for ‘a’ person and not the right person. To change this, we need to plan strategically upfront what roles we need earlier. Hiring good talent takes between one to three months. So, add this time in your plan and add in the time to train and induct.
2. We work on the ’gut’ feel
We all do it, we hire that one person we just ‘know’ will be brilliant. When this happens, we do not see the glaring red flags like bad recommendations or fail to verify any background. You should ALWAYS run background checks like references, criminal checks and verify education if it is required. Stay objective as possible! Often where there is smoke there is fire.
3. Did not compare
This goes with point 1, often due to time constraints, we find that one amazing CV and hire that person. Always try to find 1 or 2 comparison CVs or interviews. Rather complete the process completely and be 100% sure of your decision by seeing who else is out there.
4. Selecting based on notice period
We have a client who had to wait 3 calendar months for their ideal Network Engineer. It was a tough decision as they had compared and had 2 candidates shortlisted. One was available immediately and the other had 3 months notice period. After lots of deliberation, they decided to wait it out, even though they were very short on staff. It was the best decision they made as that candidate has grown so much in the role, he is now their CTO. The other candidate was not perfect – other than the notice period. Suggest to choose on skills and fit not just who is available now.
5. Choosing skills over culture fit
The saying goes ‘you can teach skills, but you can’t teach a personality’. Often we select the person with the skills and experience but fail to see how critical the right fit is. If it is something you can teach, like skills or a software package, the person with the culture fit who will drive your business growth is possibly the better choice than the one who may cause you loss of staff due to an incorrect culture fit.
Choosing the right team member is never easy, but there is a known process that does the checks and balances:
- Potential talent comes from 3 different areas:
- Actively seeking (they already are in your mailbox)
- Applications (they are interested now that they have seen you are looking) – you can advertise for free on https://za.indeed.com/
- Passive talent (they don’t know about your role, but you feel would be ideal)
- Have comparisons to review and interview (2 – 5 is a good number)
- Background checks (critical to the process) you can find these easily on https://jobcrystal.co.za/crystal-clear-checks.php
Here’s to growing your team! As Steve Jobs said, ‘hiring the best is your most important job!’
