Many great companies spend a lot of time choosing the right and the most suitable candidate for the job, but, sometimes even the most effective scrutiny results in poor decisions, and it only becomes clear when the hired person reveals his true character. It can mean two different things: either the candidate was wearing a mask that the interviewer couldn’t recognise his true personality or the interviewer was so incompetent that despite being obvious that the candidate is not suitable, he selected him. The second situation is very rare in highly professional companies, and the first one is more likely to happen.
Bad hires are costly mistakes, especially when you have made a contract with them. The person that you hired comes up late, is very incompetent in his work, and is the focus of the gossip of the entire office, is something that can be a constant source of trouble for you. It is better that hirers and interviewers should learn different techniques to avoid bad hires, and here is a list of tips that will help you to recognise and avoid a costly bad hire
Looking for Red Flags Online
In modern days when each and every person is active on the social media, it can be used as an efficient tool to screen out candidates that aren’t suitable for the job. The most important thing about this method is that apart from professional skills, you come to now the character of the candidate. And character is something that you cannot judge only by one interview. According to a 2013 survey, 69% recruiter rejected candidates only on the basis of their social media profiles.
When you are exploring the profile of any candidate on social media, you must observe different things like whether the person is posting any inappropriate content – any photos or comments. You will also know on the social media profiles of different candidates whether they talk dirty about their former employers, and the education and experience they have mentioned in their resume are real or fake.
Video Interviewing
The traditional ways of interviewing candidates on mobile phones can tell you something about the personality of the candidate because you assume from the way he speaks, but, if you use the video interviewing technique, you can know much more about the person. In the video interviews, you can see the candidate, and you can also see him talking and making gestures.
Facial impressions and the body language are two most important things that psychologists notice while conducting any interview. In the video interviewing process, you will know a lot about the personality of the person beforehand.
You can also record the interview, and you can show it to different clients and ask their opinion about the person, which will help you to avoid potentially bad candidates.
Asking the Tough Question
Most interviewers ask the most general and simplest questions to judge the personality of the candidate, but sometimes when you are offering a considerably well package that is beyond the expectation of different candidates, you must ask difficult questions as well. Whenever the candidate answers any question, never forget to ask why because this way you will know that whether the candidate has crammed the answer or he is being honest. “The tough questions and the instantaneous responses of candidates sometimes result in a slip of tongue, and that is what you should be looking for,” says Joseph Andrews, the Managing Director at Coupon Goo.
An important question can be that why the candidate wants to work for this company. The answer will tell you whether the candidate has researched about the company beforehand or not. You can also ask the candidate about his previous work history as well as about the gap in the work if there is any. Asking the candidates about their previous jobs will also tell you about the candidates’ thinking about their previous employers and fellow workers.
Candidates’ Assessment
It is possible that the candidate might be lean on the social media and it is also possible that he has all the right answers for the questions that you have asked, but is it sufficient to conclude that the candidate is suitable for the job without conducting any preliminary tests. Different highly professional companies arrange different tests ranging from the assessment of skills to the test of personality and attitude.
Pre-employment assessment tests are one of few ways that can be really helpful in the selection procedure. You can also test the candidate by conducting a test that is similar to what he would be asked to do afterwards if he is hired.
Speak with References
All the references that the candidate has mentioned in his resume, you should speak to them and ask about the personality of the candidate. See if there are any references from the previous supervisors and if there aren’t, immediately know that the person is a red flag. Nobody can tell you better about the candidate than those people who have worked with him previously.