How to Know If You’ve Made a Hiring Mistake

Recruitment starts the minute you decide that you need a new employee. Whether your company is expanding, or an employee is leaving, there are numerous factors to consider before diving into the hiring process. From creating the job description and advertising the role, to vetting resumes and starting the interview process, when do you decide if your new hire is a success? Here are a few things to be aware of when evaluating a new hire.

THE SKILLS WEREN’T WHAT YOU EXPECTED
A string of bad interviews can lead to your new hire seeming better than he or she is in reality. Maybe in comparison to other candidates, this hire seemed to be a better fit when in actuality, their skillset falls short. Whatever the case may be, you can ask new candidates about their previous roles to get a better sense of qualifications for the position.

NOT PUTTING IN THE TIME
Is your new candidate taking excessive time off or rolling in the door a little late? There could be valid reasons for this, but it’s best to have an open line of communication with the new employee to make him or her aware of your expectations. This could be an early signal of the candidate being ready to leave their position or they could simply prove to be unreliable.

ASKING TOO MANY QUESTIONS
There’s no such thing as stupid questions — until there are. If your new hire is continuing to ask the same questions or unnecessary questions, you can ask them to take more notes or try to be more resourceful. If the new employee requires hand-holding through every task, that could be a sign that they could be more of a hindrance than a help.

COMPLAINING
If your new employee is complaining about mundane things such as office coffee, lack of parking or where they sit in the office, it could be a sign of a larger underlying issue. Maybe it’s time to pull your new hire aside and ask if there’s another problem — annoyance with little things could suggest that there’s an underlying issue or complaint. It’s best to discuss this early to ensure that his or her attitude doesn’t affect other employees.

REFERENCING THEIR OLD JOB
Drawing on past experiences to do a fantastic job is encouraged. It’s useful if someone offers transferable skills and new processes that can improve your organization from his or her previous experiences. However, this can hinder productivity when a new employee constantly says, “at my old place we did this,” or “my old colleagues didn’t do it like that.” These comments are unnecessary, and at the end of the day, not going to solve anything. 

ARROGANCE
Confidence is key, but you don’t want to work with someone who thinks they’re better than the rest of the team, the company or the job. If you’re picking up on arrogance, it’s worth looking at how an employee will fit with the team and how his or her attitude will impact the workplace. 

MAKING THE SAME MISTAKES REPEATEDLY
Everyone makes mistakes, but we must learn from them. While you need to be aware of new employees’ need to learn new skills, it’s not ideal if they continue to make the same errors. If you notice a pattern of repeat mistakes, it’s time to reconsider your new hire.

NOT DELIVERING
When all is said and done, is the employee doing the job and to what standard? Some problems can be overlooked if someone is great at the job, and challenging the norm is not always a bad thing. However, if they’re not delivering, constantly upsetting clients or colleagues, or showing signs that they aren’t prepared to change, it’s time to take action. 

MAKING YOU LOSE SLEEP
Are you losing sleep because you’re worried about what your new hire could potentially destroy? If the first thing you feel in the morning is dread that you have to work with your new hire, they’re not a good fit for the company. 

NOT WILLING TO ADAPT TO CHANGE
Have you gone through these points and come to the conclusion that the person in question is just not willing to adapt to change? Have they already muttered the words, “that’s not my job?” It’s essential, for smaller companies especially, that employees are flexible and able to grow and change with the needs of the company.

Now, you must make a decision about your new recruit and his or her future at your company. Perhaps there’s another role that would be a better fit. Either way, there’s a good chance you will need to restart the recruitment process.