10 Hiring Mistakes You’re Still Making

Recently, a manager I was coaching said he was recovering from firing a P.U.R.E. This phrase was new to me. When I inquired, he translated:  Previously Undetected Recruiting Error.

If you’ve been supervising people for any length of time, chances are good that you’ve likewise been challenged with a poor hire, or P.U.R.E. Most of us don’t have a 100% success rate when it comes to adding team members. Occasionally we hire a dud instead of the rocket scientist we thought we were onboarding.

With advanced technology providing us with so many recruitment options and candidate transparency increasingly evident on social media, our odds of hiring a winner should be getting better and better. However, several recent surveys indicate that recruitment continues to be high on the list of challenges facing both human resource professionals and CEOs.

In our 25 years of leadership and managerial experience, the most common hiring mistakes we’ve identified include:

Hiring Clones.  Of course, people don’t admit to hiring clones. They instead claim to be “hiring for a good cultural fit.”  In interviews, the candidates who are most like the existing culture acquire a “halo,” while those who look, think, and speak differently fall from favor.  While hiring for a good cultural fit will result in another “feel good” employee, you are most likely shortchanging the team in the areas of talent and expertise, just because other applicants were “different.”

Unclear Job Specifications. It’s hard to hire an applicant who might be a good fit if the expectations for the job are not carefully analyzed and clearly presented. This becomes an even bigger challenge when human resources does the initial screening, and rules people in or out of the recruitment process based on job requirements that lack clarity.

Narrow, Restrictive Job Specifications.  While clarity in job expectations is critical, overly narrow or restrictive job requirements can eliminate candidates who would be successful hires. You are not hiring a robot programed to perform the exact specifications of the job. You are hiring a thinker and problem solver. A good hire might not have the exact experience outlined in the job specifications, but may be able to demonstrate the ability to acquire specific skills during the interview process.

Hiring too Quickly.  Hiring happens because there is a critical gap or need. The bigger the talent gap, the greater the tendency is to fill the position quickly. As the pressure mounts, the focus is placed on moving quickly to ease the pain.  Applicant shortcomings are overlooked; corners are cut; the interview process moves quickly; the offer is made; and in many cases, the outcome is a less than stellar hire. Moving fast is an understandable impulse. But when it results in a poor hire, the organization experiences considerable financial and emotional costs.

Hiring too Slowly. While hiring too quickly often ends with disastrous results, taking too long to complete the process is also not ideal. The longer the employer takes to make a decision that results in an offer, the greater the likelihood is that the chosen candidate will not be hired. The best candidates are also talking to other potential employers, and will most likely have other job offers. For the applicant, a delayed hiring process translates into a lack of interest, and spurs them on to consider other employment options.

No Formal Process.  With an informal hiring process, great potential candidates are lost, and poor applicants are vetted. A process that lacks clarity translates to the applicant as disorganization. When the interview is open to any team member interested in showing up, and there is no questioning plan, the barrage of unorganized questions can come across to the applicant as a communal assault.

Limited Team Involvement.  Some clients have shared examples of a new hire being a terrible fit, not because they lacked technical expertise, but because of the way they interacted (or didn’t) with the rest of the team. Though the recruiter and hiring manager were confident that the new employee would be a great fit, strange interpersonal dynamics became apparent when the employee started working with the team. They had learned that team members must be part of the interview and applicant vetting process.

Over-valuing Seniority.  Hiring from within is important, but a costly hiring mistake can result from using the “Rite of Passage” to promote someone based solely on seniority.  While the applicant may have considerable technical expertise, their limited managerial experience can be a recipe for disaster as the internal applicant is promoted beyond their level of capability.

Limited Reference Checks. Obviously, applicants are picked for consideration from impressive resumes, and perhaps from a word of mouth recommendation.  It all looks so positive, and as a plus, the applicant interviews well. Some clients have admitted to moving fast to ensure the hire, and shortchanging the reference checks. Even when the candidate is widely liked, a hiring manager should do a thorough reference to verify the facts and follow an objective selection process.

Not Cutting Losses Sooner.  Sometimes, for multiple reasons, a bad hire is made. When clarifying performance expectations, coaching, and counseling don’t work, some managers think that given enough time, the new employee will perform to standards. Giving the employee more time to adjust may work in some cases. But when it doesn’t, cut your losses sooner rather than later.

As we begin 2015, the economic signals are optimistic, and many organizations are anticipating growth. It’s time to use the insights you’ve gained on how to hire employees to start the year with a commitment to making the best hires possible. When positions become vacant, clarify both technical and cultural job expectations. Identify steps in the hiring process, and set realistic deadlines. Get team members involved in reviewing resumes and interviewing the applicants. Don’t rush the process, but stick to your deadlines, and keep applicants informed about their status. Allow ample time to check references, and do so objectively, even though you think you’ve found the ideal candidate. Finally, if your hire a P.U.R.E. and coaching doesn’t work, cut your losses quickly!