We’ve all seen the data on the cost of replacing a bad hire. But what about the damage the bad hire does in the meantime? And how do you prevent it from happening again?
Consider this actual scenario. A client called me in to investigate complaints that an account manager was bullying coworkers. Through my investigation I discovered that the behavior had been going on for some time and, in fact, a couple of sales people had left because they did not want to work with this individual. Others were threatening to leave. Additionally, customers at two key accounts had stopped returning the account manager’s phone calls because they didn’t want to deal with him. At my recommendation, the client hired an attorney and they were able to terminate the employee. The process took a year and a half and nearly cost the company two major clients.
So how did this happen? It began with a broken hiring process. When the account manager was interviewed, two of the interviewers followed the structured process and asked questions directly tied to the job requirements. The other two interviewers merely had conversations with the candidate, and based their opinions on his charisma and the rapport developed during those conversations. During the interview debrief, charisma and rapport won out over job requirements and fit. Red flag number one was doubts expressed (but ignored) during the interview process. Red flag number two was that none of the candidate’s references would give any information beyond the standard, factual, previous job confirmation.
Lessons learned?
- Use a consistent, structured interview process. Always. Prepare behavioral questions in advance and pre-determine who will ask what. The interview should be conversational, but should result in concrete examples of how the candidate has demonstrated the job requirements.
- Consider the input of ALL interviewers. Look for patterns. Be sure you are evaluating the candidate and his/her qualifications objectively, rather than on a “gut” feeling or the “sell” factor.
- 3. Listen for what isn’t being said when you check references.
- Deal with bad behavior immediately. Even if your hire meets all the requirements and performs the job as expected, don’t ignore behavior that is negatively impacting those around them. The fallout will be costly indeed.
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