Ever hired someone who didn’t turn out to be what you expected? Did that seemingly well-spoken, educated, and experienced interviewee turn into just another “warm body” consuming valuable office air? Well, turns out you’re not the only one who’s been caught in a situation like that. At some point, most people make a hiring mistake.
An unfit employee can cost employers as much as $10,000 per year for every employee that doesn’t fit!* If that’s not bad enough, firing an employee costs you 30–150 percent of that individual’s salary.* And those are just the financial risks associated with an unfit employee.
Unfit employees can also affect your workplace environment, reputation in the marketplace and really put a dent into your business. There really is a lot more to say about hiring mistakes, but the bottom line is that the ramifications are enormous.
Ideally you’d like to avoid being put into this position in the first place, and you can do so by taking a number of steps. Your hiring journey should start with a concrete idea of who you are looking for. Long before you ever post a job or start engaging potential applicants, you need to ask yourself some very important questions. These questions must include thoughts around what “type” of person you need (personality and motivation), not just their skills and experience.
- Do I need a leader or someone who is good at following instructions?
- Will this person be interacting with customers?
- Will they mostly work in a team or autonomously?
- Do I need a problem solver or a doer?
If you can answer these questions with conviction, you’re off to a good start.
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