Every manager should avoid these missteps
By Daniel Abramson, HRSource
Hiring the right talent is one of the most critical factors in the success of any business. However, despite the best efforts of many independent retailers, hiring decisions often go awry.
Whether it’s due to rushed decisions, misaligned expectations or overlooking key qualifications, hiring blunders can result in costly mistakes, both in time and resources. It’s estimated that a bad hire equals three times an employee’s salary!
Here are seven hiring mishaps that many managers make, and ways to dodge them like a real HR pro.
1. Rushing the Hiring Process
In a fast-paced business environment, it can be tempting to fill positions quickly, especially when the workload is fast and furious. However, rushing through the hiring process can lead to poor decisions and ultimately result in a bad hire. When a decision is made hastily, candidates may not be thoroughly evaluated, and their long-term compatibility with the company might not be assessed.
How to Dodge It: Take the time to fully assess the candidate pool. Break down the hiring process into clear steps, from reviewing resumes to conducting multiple rounds of interviews. Always allow enough time to check references, Google social media, and perform background checks. Patience pays off when it comes to securing the right fit for your team.
2. Ignoring Cultural Fit
You’ve heard me say that technical skills and qualifications are important, but so is cultural fit. A candidate might be highly qualified but still not mesh well with the team or the company culture. Hiring someone who doesn’t align with the organization’s values, work ethic and style of communication can create friction, reduce team morale and hinder productivity.
How to Dodge It: In addition to assessing technical abilities, ensure that the interview process evaluates whether a candidate shares the company’s values and will contribute positively to the workplace culture. Behavioral interviews and personality assessments can be useful tools in gauging cultural compatibility.
3. Overlooking Soft Skills
In many industries, soft skills such as communication, problem solving, adaptability and emotional intelligence are just as important as technical expertise. A candidate who may have an impressive resume but lacks these essential traits could struggle to collaborate with the team or adapt to changing circumstances. Many times, we hire on skills and fire on personality!
How to Dodge It: Ask questions during interviews that evaluate a candidate’s soft skills. For example, ask about how they’ve dealt with conflict in previous jobs, how they approach problem solving or how they handle stress. Roleplaying exercises or group interviews can also help you assess how candidates interact with others and solve problems in real time.
Here’s an example: “Tell me about an instance when you had to manage multiple competing priorities. How did you prioritize your tasks and what was the result?” This question assesses time management, decision making and organizational skills, which are all important soft skills.
4. Failing to Set Clear Expectations
Miscommunication about job responsibilities and expectations is a common cause of frustration for both employees and employers. When a hiring manager or company doesn’t clearly outline the role’s expectations, candidates might enter the job under false pretenses, leading to disappointment and disengagement.
How to Dodge It: During the interview process, be transparent about job responsibilities, goals and expectations. Make sure candidates understand the specific tasks they will be expected to perform, as well as the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will define their success. This clarity reduces the risk of misalignment down the road.
5. Overweighting Qualifications
A common hiring mistake is placing too much emphasis on qualifications, such as degrees or years of experience. While these credentials can be indicators of competency, they don’t always guarantee that a candidate will succeed in the role or within the company.
How to Dodge It: While qualifications are important, place more value on a candidate’s ability to learn, grow and adapt. Focus on assessing their problem-solving skills, their potential to develop in the role and their passion for the work. Sometimes, a candidate who has the right mindset and willingness to learn can outperform someone who simply checks all the qualification boxes.
6. Ignoring Red Flags
It’s easy to become enamored with a candidate’s skills and charm, but overlooking warning signs or “red flags” can lead to regret. For instance, a candidate who frequently changes jobs, has inconsistent career progression or struggles to provide specific examples of past successes may not be the ideal hire.
How to Dodge It: Look for patterns in a candidate’s career history. Don’t ignore negative aspects of their resume or behavior during the interview. If there’s uncertainty or hesitation, probe deeper to understand the reasons behind those inconsistencies. Trust your instincts and don’t shy away from asking tough questions about potential red flags.
7. Not Involving the Team
Hiring decisions can be isolated to HR or a hiring manager, but overlooking the input of other team members who will be working closely with the new hire can lead to mismatches.
How to Dodge It: Involve key team members in the hiring process, either by having them participate in interviews or by asking for their input on shortlisted candidates. This allows you to get a well-rounded view of the candidate’s fit for both the role and the team. Involving the team in the interview process (i.e., staff “buy-in”) ensures that the candidate will be evaluated from multiple perspectives and helps gauge how they’ll mesh with the team dynamic.
Summing it Up
Hiring is a crucial decision for any company. To avoid common hiring mistakes, it’s essential to plan carefully, exercise patience and consider both technical skills and interpersonal qualities. A more thoughtful and thorough hiring process helps companies reduce turnover, enhance team dynamics and create a workforce that fosters long-term success — and rewards retailers with customer referrals.
Daniel Abramson is managing lead of HRSource, a comprehensive collection of customized employment tools and turnkey HR solutions exclusive to BrandSource members. Contact Daniel at (540) 535-8484 or Daniel.Abramson@BrandSource.com.
