{"id":15887,"date":"2024-08-12T09:48:24","date_gmt":"2024-08-12T13:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/?p=15887"},"modified":"2024-08-27T12:21:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T16:21:10","slug":"avoid-hiring-wrong-person","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/avoid-hiring-wrong-person\/","title":{"rendered":"How You Can Avoid Hiring the Wrong Person"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"avoid<\/p>\n

Sometimes you hire the wrong person. It happens. Maybe they aren\u2019t as qualified as they claimed, and you\u2019re forced to give them extra training or let them go. Maybe they seemed like a great fit but quit shortly after starting<\/a>. Maybe the employee\u2019s work is fine, all things considered, but you can\u2019t help but wonder whether you should have chosen a different candidate.<\/p>\n

Nothing you can do will prevent every regrettable hire, but you can reduce the likelihood of one \u2014 and all the stress and cost that comes with it \u2014 by fine-tuning your processes for writing job postings, interviewing candidates, and making your final decision.<\/p>\n

The Job Posting<\/h2>\n

The goal of a job posting isn\u2019t to attract as many people as possible\u2014not unless anyone could do the job. Effective job postings encourage applications from qualified job seekers while discouraging applications from individuals who either wouldn\u2019t be able to do the job or perform at the level you need. The best postings are engaging, informative, and clear. They build excitement among quality candidates and provide people with reasons to self-select out of the jobs that aren\u2019t right for them.<\/p>\n

When drafting the job posting, you must know what you\u2019re looking for. Describe the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to do the job as accurately and precisely as you can. Start with what\u2019s most important. Readers should be able to tell right away whether they\u2019re qualified and capable of being successful in the role.<\/p>\n

Use language they\u2019re likely to understand and that will help them envision themselves in the role. Be concrete but concise. Technical jargon and acronyms might be fine if they\u2019re well known in the field, but avoid terms that are more particular to your organization or that may have different meanings to different audiences. Be careful with abstract descriptors like \u201cfast-paced environment,\u201d \u201cdeadline-driven,\u201d \u201clong hours,\u201d or \u201cwork hard, play hard.\u201d A fast-paced work environment, for instance, could mean projects get done quickly and efficiently, but it could also mean that people feel rushed to get their regular jobs done because they\u2019re constantly putting out fires. If you\u2019re not sure how to describe the work or work environment, ask employees what terms they\u2019d use and what those descriptions look like in practice.<\/p>\n

The Interview<\/h2>\n

As with the job posting, the interview process is an opportunity to build excitement for the role and eliminate candidates who look qualified on paper but don\u2019t truly possess the capabilities to do the job to your satisfaction.<\/p>\n

Challenge candidates to convince you that they would be successful in the role. Ask them how they used relevant knowledge and skills in the past and what the outcome was. What did their successes look like? What about their failures? If their answers are vague or elusive, ask for specifics. You don\u2019t need to be confrontational, but you should be direct. Remember, you\u2019re collecting information you\u2019ll use to assess their fitness for the role and compare them to other candidates. Details matter, so take good notes.<\/p>\n

When explaining the work the candidate would do or answering questions they have, be upfront about the challenges that come with the job. Don\u2019t downplay the downsides to the point of deception. The person you hire will not appreciate being misled about the position, and if hired, they\u2019d likely be more engaged in finding another job than doing the one you hired them to do.<\/p>\n

If you have a team of interviewers, talk with them as a group before beginning interviews so they know what you are looking for in a successful candidate, what to prioritize, and where each should focus their questions. After the interviews are complete, meet again as a group to go over everyone\u2019s notes and share feedback about each candidate. Encourage open communication and honest opinions, especially with respect to concerns about skills and abilities. Keep an eye out for discrepancies. This is the time to question everyone\u2019s impressions of each candidate, not go with the flow.<\/p>\n

Making Your Decision<\/h2>\n

If one exceptional candidate clearly stands apart from the others, you probably have an easy decision to make: make the offer, high-five the team, and call it a day. However, your decision might not be so easy. Let\u2019s look at two common reasons.<\/p>\n

First, you might not have any candidate who can do the job. If that\u2019s the case, you\u2019ll need to decide whether to cast another net (starting the process over again) or adapt the job itself to the candidate who showed the most potential. For the former, it might help to tweak the job posting, screening process, and interview questions \u2014 especially if unqualified applicants are making it to the interview stage. For the latter, you may need to rethink the essential functions of the job and how the duties could be performed by someone who doesn\u2019t fit your ideal qualifications.<\/p>\n

The second and preferable possibility is that you have multiple standout candidates and none of them seems the obvious choice. If that\u2019s the case, rank each qualified candidate based on the following criteria:<\/p>\n