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Top 5 Ways to Ensure You Hire the WRONG Person!

October 5, 2011

By: Omnia Group

Are you frustrated with interviewing great job candidates to find three months later they have gone from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde?  It's not necessarily their fault!  You, as a hiring manager, may be getting in your own way!    Ask yourself why so many employees hate their jobs, diss the boss, and perform poorly? Many managers adhere strictly to these five rules designed to make hiring the wrong person super easy!

Attention, folks:  This is what NOT to do when looking to fill a very important position with your next "A Player":

1)     Assume everything the applicant says is true

Desperate to land any position, some candidates make wild claims about themselves or their accomplishments. They skew the facts, stretch the truth, or show interest in roles for which they’re unsuited or unqualified -- but they seem credible. Once hired, SURPRISE! These workers revert to their true selves and start exhibiting traits incompatible with the job and work culture.

2)     Be vague about the position or your needs

If you have no job criteria, then almost anyone is employable. You won’t waste time pouring over stacks of resumes – you hire the first person who seems interested in your company. However, don’t be surprised to hear your new worker complain about not knowing what he/she was getting into. Or worse yet, you may be forced to terminate your recruit and restart your search for another one all over again just because too many questions about the job went unanswered.  Why?  Because you didn’t take the time to sit down and outline your own needs for the job you are looking to fill.

3)     Focus exclusively on the applicant’s job compatibility

When you find a person well suited to a position, you might think there’s no need to look any further. This is fine if you don’t care whether your new employee also fits into your corporate culture and mixes well with your existing team members. The risk is high you’ll end up with a new worker who’s great at the job…but impossible to get along with.

4)     Ignore signs of stress in an applicant

If your potential new hire has issues causing anxiety or uneven focus, you may feel it has no bearing on you. The reality is it could mean you’ve taken on an employee who can’t get the job done because he or she is distracted, overwhelmed, intimidated, or reckless. Responses to stress vary from person to person; that worker who seems so assertive and driven can become demanding. And the new, enthusiastic charmer? She transforms into an outspoken diva when upset. 

5)     Hire someone just like you

Send in the clones! If your applicant answers questions the same way you would, the two of you should share similar goals and objectives, and that sounds like a good thing. However, over time identical thinking and responses do little to drive creative solutions or fresh approaches to problem-solving – attributes that come from someone who tackles things differently than you might.

Fortunately, there are business tools available to help avoid hiring the wrong person. These come in the form of behavioral assessments (also known as priceless lifelines to managers who’ve learned to rely on them!) The Omnia Profile is a popular, often used behavioral assessment that provides quick insight into the typical behaviors and related responses of potential new hires and existing employees. Available online, it’s simple to use and measures compatibility with specific jobs, work cultures, and colleagues; the Profile can also gauge an applicant’s likely response to stressful situations.

The hiring process is often time-consuming and painstaking but saying yes to the wrong job candidate means frustration, a big hit to your return on investment, and less business for you. Think before you hire. In this market, it’s way too easy to bring your next nightmare employee aboard unwittingly.

Omnia Group

For over 30 years, we’ve helped organizations across the world improve and optimize their workforce operations and company cultures. While we take a unique, scientific approach to hiring, development and retention, we also believe every business is a people business. Our passionate advisors always put people first.

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