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1. Hiring the wrong person is one of the most expensive mistakes that an organisation can make
Many people have tried to estimate the cost of a hiring mistake. There are numerous formulas that you can use. Each is calculated using different assumptions. As a best guess, in hiring for an entry-level position, the organisation is risking a minimum of six times that person’s annual salary. The more senior the role, the more expensive the dollar cost of a mistake.
2. Most (though not all) organisations only do a mediocre job of staff selection.
There are several reasons for this. Very few staff have had the proper training for their role. Most people are involved on an intermittent basis, making it difficult to get any real skill level. Often, there isn’t enough time allowed to do the job properly.
The urgency of filling a role takes precedence over taking appropriate caution. The individual in charge of hiring may make a hasty decision and hire someone who is appealing on the surface but may be utterly inappropriate for the role.
3. Unstructured interviews are poor predictors of job success.
With this approach, even the best judge of character won’t have the correct data needed to form a proper opinion. It has also become increasingly difficult to obtain honest reference checks. It takes experience and time to set up an effective interview.
4. Hiring is subject to the law of supply and demand.
In times of low unemployment, great staff are hard to find. It’s very likely that they already have an attractive job which they will not easily leave. If they’re competent, their employer is probably doing everything that they can to ensure that they do not leave to seek greener pastures. Often, the person you want to hire isn’t even in the job market.
5. We never do someone a favour by hiring them for a job for which they are not suited.
A client wanted to hire a personal assistant to the managing director. Despite many danger signals suggesting that this candidate would be a poor choice, she was hired. Part of the client’s reasoning was that “She looked the part and was pleasant. She may not be perfect, but she’ll grow into the job.”
By the third week, it became clear that this hire had been a terrible mistake. Several weeks later, she was fired. Putting aside the cost to the organisation, did they do this woman any favours? I think not. She too had wasted her time, and had a negative interaction that had caused her to feel overwhelmed, incompetent and utterly miserable.
6. Hiring involves evaluating human nature.
This is a challenging exercise. At the interview, we see candidates at their very best. Some people are skilled at putting on an acceptable and even persuasive interview mask.
Once hired, the employee’s personality cannot help but make itself known. Although it is possible to objectively assess credentials and to some extent confirm work experience, it is exceptionally difficult to really assess the candidate’s personality before you hire them.
You may be one of those people who believes you are a really good judge of others.
This may well be true—in some circumstances.
For example, if you know someone well, you have seen them in a variety of circumstances, and they are being entirely candid with you, then making judgements about that person’s character won’t be too difficult. A job interview is always a different task.
Eight Challenges to Judging Human Nature in a Job Interview
- You only have a relatively short period of time with the candidate.
- The candidate’s job is to highlight their strengths.
- You are seeing the candidate in their very best light.
- The candidate has a strong incentive to downplay or even lie about any weaknesses that they may have.
- The candidate may possess additional faults of which they may be unaware.
- For the most part, you will have to rely on accepting what the candidate tells you about themselves at face value, as references cannot be trusted fully.
- Legal limits will prohibit you from asking some questions that you would like answered.
- Most importantly, you are trying to predict how this person will act in the future, under circumstances that you can’t always predict.
So what do you need to do to ensure that you make an appropriate hire for your business?
First, get as much information about the applicant that is independent of what they tell you.
Second, take your time when making a hiring decision. The need to rush this decision is almost always outweighed by the advantages of doing a thorough job.
Third, if you make a mistake, fire quickly. Don’t spend a lot of time and energy trying to change someone who simply isn’t right for your business.
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This material is adapted from Dr. Byrne’s newest book: Seeing Behind the Job Applicant’s Mask Before Hiring: Secrets of a Corporate Psychologist available from Amazon.
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