5 Tips on How to Prevent Bad Hires

A bad hire increases the financial burden on the company. It can lead to more expenditure; for instance, it can amount to 30% to 150% of the employee’s annual salary. There’s also the cost of lost revenue and extra recruitment and training, which can prove extremely expensive.

Moreover, a bad hire can negatively impact the team’s morale and productivity. It can lead to severe operational losses, reducing the team’s efforts. Red flags arise during the interview process and can result in bad hires.

This blog deals with the best ways to prevent bad hiring decisions and hire the best employees.

Why do companies make bad hiring decisions?

Some of the common reasons why companies may end up hiring the wrong people include the following:

• Acting too fast

  1 in 3 recruiters agree that bad hires happen in an organization because of the urgency to fill the position. HR professionals are often pressured to fill a position urgently, which may lead them to hire incompetent and mediocre candidates who may not fit the hiring requirements.

• Not being specific

  The need for more clarity in the job description can be one reason for bad hiring. Vague job descriptions often attract candidates who may be unfit for the role. For example, they may not have the necessary skills, experience, or attitude for the position.

• Incompetent interview process

  Hiring candidates based solely on their technical assessments, not their personalities, can be a major failure. HR professionals often make bad hiring decisions because they do not assess the candidate’s behavior or personality during the interview.

• Avoiding background checks

  Around 64.2% of employees have admitted to lying in their resumes. Not performing a background check can prevent this information from being obtained, and as a result, you may end up hiring incompetent candidates.

5 expert tips to avoid bad hiring practices

It is common to adopt bad hiring practices. However, adopting proper strategies to avoid these bad hires is extremely important. Some of the expert tips to follow are as follows:

1. Include probation period

   A probationary period and performance improvement plan for new hires can be one key way to eliminate bad hires. If the new hire is incompetent and not performing, you cannot terminate them unless there is a proper plan.

   During probation, you can assess whether the individual is a perfect fit. If they fail to perform during this time, give them a chance with a performance improvement plan. However, if they still do not improve, you can take action by terminating them without being regretful of bad hiring practices.

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2. Reassess the hiring strategies

   It is always important to reassess the hiring strategies, especially when you have had the experience of a bad hire recently. You should understand where you are going wrong and make the changes accordingly.

   Adopting advanced strategies and assessment tools can help you find high-quality candidates and avoid the risk of bad hires. You may seek third-party help to assess hiring strategies better.

3. Assess the employee

   Discuss with your new hire why they aren’t meeting expectations. After the onboarding session, conduct a one-on-one session to understand the major areas of the gap. Some common reasons your employee may not be meeting expectations include a lack of motivation, training, a stressful work environment, and so on.

   Whatever the reason, try to help your employees. Bring in proper employee support, especially to avoid bad hiring decisions. Train your employees so they meet your expectations.

4. Train or shift them to a better position

   One of the biggest bad hiring decisions is recruiting the right candidate for the wrong position. If the candidate seems culturally fit in the organization, either train them for the particular position or switch them to the one where they are a better fit.

   Always remember that candidates can be an asset to the organization if they are good. Skills can always be trained. Fast learners will make it a point to imbibe these soon, irrespective of the position they’re shifted to.

5. Use references to check beyond the resume

   One of the best ways to avoid bad hires is to go beyond the resume. Rather than believing what is mentioned in the resume or technical competency, it is essential to check the references.

   You may request that the employee provide a few references for themselves. Around 95% of employers use references to learn more about candidates during hiring. Furthermore, you can also check their social media, especially LinkedIn, to learn more about the candidate.

How do you deal with bad hiring?

We have some additional and common ways to deal with bad hiring practices. As an HR professional or a recruiter, you should never underestimate the candidate’s experience. Instead, you should always have an empathetic yet strategic approach. Also, it is important to be honest with the candidate.

Summing Up

Bad hires are common in every organization. One of the easiest ways to avoid it is to be clear about expectations from the beginning. If you know what you want, you can easily streamline business operations and hiring. Thus, reliable hiring solutions like Jobsoid help attract and engage with the best candidates. The tool is helpful in the recruitment pipeline, allowing you to find the best talent.

Take a free trial with Jobsoid today to understand how to leverage its power for hiring talent.