Have you hired the wrong person for the job?

When a company grows, the number of employees grows too and while this is an exciting venture, the pressure to fill new positions may lead recruiters to hire someone who does not fulfil the role at all. The decision to hire someone undesirable can be called a “bad hire”. The unfortunate part of this mistake is taking action, which could prove to be a setback for the company.

The person may have presented themselves well during the interview process, showing great interest in the position. Their CV may have hidden the red flags well and while they meet the qualifications for the role, the essence of who they actually are in a working environment may reflect otherwise.

These are a few characteristics of a bad hire:

They are unable to do the job: Not being able to use the company’s preferred software may be a hindrance but not a red flag. The problem comes in when they have no sense of direction when tasked with what was presented to them as a job spec. If someone says they know how to write a proposal, they should have insight on what should go into a proposal layout.

They are legal trouble: If the company has to seek legal assistance in dealing with the employee, then they are costing the company money.

They don’t embody the company culture: A company and its team thrive on positivity and a person who does not represent such can cause a rift in the company culture. Their persona, attitude, constant complaining, and appearance also play a part in not joining with the company culture.

Getting rid of a hiring mistake is not as easy as firing them as that could lead to another legal schlep. It can be remedied and hopefully, a company will not find itself in the same situation again. From the moment the employee is identified as having any of the above characteristics, it is time to admit to your mistake as a recruiter. It may have been a bad judgement call or the desperate need to have the position filled. Addressing the issue to nip it in the bud can help make the employee see where they fall short. It is also advisable to see how any errors slipped past the recruiter and what measures can be taken to identify these for future candidates.

Going forward, the new hiring process should include thee actions:

• Provide a detailed job description that does not leave a loophole for future mistakes to happen.
• Scrutinise all the applications you receive and pick only the candidates that for the description best.
• Have detailed interviews inclusive of assessment tasks for the candidate to showcase the talent they have portrayed themselves to have.
• Conduct a background check and contact the references presented as part of the application.
• Train the new employee on what is expected and bring them up to speed with how the company works.

This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied on as legal or other professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your legal adviser for specific and detailed advice. (E&OE)