It doesn’t take long for you to realize that you may have made a huge mistake in your last hire. But humans are stubborn and it may take a while for you to do anything about it. You may hope they settle in or that your gentle coaching can curb their bad habits. What happens when time ticks by but nothing changes? A bad hire can cost you time and revenue, or worse. Did you know that you might have a secret weapon against bad hires right in your office? Here are some of the ways your current team can help you spot the signs of a bad hire.
Encourage Team Interviews
When adding a new staff member to your team you need to ensure that they will get along well with your existing employees. There is no better way to gauge this than to have everyone meet with the potential candidates. This way you can get their feedback and how they feel on a personal level and their matching work styles.
Compare Notes
Once the new candidates have met with your staff have a meeting to discuss the interviews and compare notes. Before the meeting suggest that everyone address some of the same issues with the candidates. This way, you’re comparing apples to apples and will be able to better assess these issues.
Discuss Red Flags
If anyone saw anything that they have concerns about, address these. Don’t sweep your employees’ concerns under the rug. There may be legitimate reasons that they are concerned about hiring this particular candidate. Discuss the red flags, what they mean, and why this might be a potential problem. Also, discuss possible solutions.
Have a Casual Meeting
Don’t make all the meetings formal. Encourage the candidate to meet with your staff in a more casual environment. They are far more likely to be themselves when they don’t think they are on trial for the job. You will get some good insider information about the way they talk about previous employers and tackle problems in the office.
Watch for Complaints and Production Issues
Don’t let the process go once you’ve make a hiring decision. After the person is working be sure to take any concerns from your established team seriously. They will be on the front lines and they will see what the new hire does day to day and how they handle the demands of their specific job. Often, counseling can help solve problems but if it becomes a distraction for your employees, you may need to take more drastic action.
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