Bad Hire or Poor Interview: How to Tell the Difference

When a new hire is struggling in their position, it can sometimes be natural to assume that they were a bad hire that just “interviewed well.” Or you may suspect that the new hire exaggerated their talents during the interview process. Often this is indeed the case – applicants frequently stretch the truth when applying for a job. According to a report from the Society of Human Resource Management, about one-quarter of all job applicants take liberties with the truth on their resumes. It is possible, however, that the fault lies not with the applicant but with your business’ hiring process. For example, your interviewers could be neglecting to ask critical questions and failing to describe the realities of the job.

Use the following tips to distinguish if it was your business’ hiring process or a misleading job candidate that resulted in a bad hire.

Are Your Interviewers Self-Aware?

Self-awareness as an interviewer encompasses many areas. For example:

• Knowledge of your hiring style (tackler, tester, tailor or teller)
• Working as a team of interviewers presenting a balanced approach in hiring styles
• Having identified blind spots and ways to alleviate them/compensate for them

Only when you are self-aware as an interviewer can you tell if you are effective or ineffective.

How Did the Bad Hire Perform and Get Along with Others?

If your bad hire displayed attitude problems and flouted company rules, it’s possible that he or she is merely a good interviewer. It’s possible, too, that due diligence was not done in checking references. If a hire starts work and lacks a critical skill set, go back to the job description and interview questions to see how well the skill set was addressed. To get around the problem of candidates who exaggerate their abilities, you could build in a skills test such as giving a presentation.

Did You Clearly Define the Role?

When you drafted the job description, did you make sure to define all of the responsibilities, and express them clearly? For example, did you state that the role requires customer service skills, but really what you meant was sales? The new hire may have all the skills that you defined in your job description, but if the actual job is different then it is natural for them to struggle. If this is the case, then the fault is with your hiring process, not the employee.