You can’t run a successful business without the right employees.

Whether you’re big or small — especially in the present business environment — even one “bad fit” employee can quickly grow into a seriously expensive mistake.  Fortunately, there are several excellent ways to soundly evaluate and judge a prospective new hire.

5 Steps to Avoid Costly and Preventable Hiring Mistakes in Your Organization

1. Use Employee Assessments: While recruiting, companies generally tend to focus on the technical abilities and qualifications of the candidate. What is overlooked is the fact though a candidate may have all the qualifications for the position, he or she may not measure up on the non-technical aspects of the job. In order to make sure that a prospective employee is in sync with the objectives and values of the organization, you should consider the use of employee assessments, which are based on surveys that focus on the suitability of the person for the particular position. By assessing your candidate’s style of work, personality, and workplace behavioral patterns, these assessments help identify gaps between job requirements and the employee’s work style, and can also help with employee development and coaching.

2. Conduct a Thorough Background Check: Cases of resume falsification are not uncommon. According to a recent study, it was revealed that almost 10% of job applicants misrepresent their educational qualifications, work history, and responsibilities, and even their reasons for having left their previous jobs. Carrying out a careful background check can go a long way in preventing problems later on.

3. Get an Unbiased Judgment: All too often, employers rely heavily on the candidate’s self awareness. While it is true that an applicant may be extremely talented and skilled, it has also been noticed that more often than not, one is biased about his or her knowledge and experience. Thus they may project an incorrect idea of their actual abilities and aptitudes. It is therefore advisable to always get a professional, objective evaluation of an individual’s work style behaviors and competencies. And ask for project samples or demonstrations as evidence of the candidate’s proficiency.

4. Provide a Realistic and Clear Job Preview: During the hiring process for a particular position, care should be taken to ensure that position description and deliverables are explained in detail to the candidate. The requirements should never be exaggerated or modified in an attempt to make it the “dream job”. Neither should a candidate be left guessing about the respective job responsibilities. In either case, a candidate may develop his or her own ideas about the role requirements, and after on boarding, any negatives or unanticipated responsibilities may lead to a resignation. This would be very costly and entail starting all over with the hiring process.

5. Do Not Hire Mismatched People: Often, in a desperate situation, an organization may hire employees who are not qualified enough to meet the demands of the job role or whose work styles are simply not a good match for the job requirements or the organization’s culture. This is often done with the idea that even a marginally employee can be trained to deliver the same outputs. However, this can be a dangerous decision not only for the organization’s finances, but also for its reputation. The money, time, and energy invested in training under-qualified and mismatched people are hardly worth it. It is always advisable to take any steps necessary to make sure a person is a good “fit” for the requirements of the job and the organization’s culture.

Mis-hires can be very costly and have a negative impact on the morale of your organization and on the overall level of employee satisfaction.

If you follow the 5 Steps you see above you’ll increase your chances of getting the right people in the right jobs the first time, and avoid the costly and preventable hiring mistakes that result in financial loss and lost opportunities.

And you’ll be on your way to creating a much healthier, more effective organization–and ultimately–a more successful business.

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Filed under: Employee Selection • Human Resources • Organizational Development

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