Imagine this situation: there is a candidate who seems too-good-to-be-true applying for an entry-level position in your organisation, with a seemingly-perfect resume, he even nails the interview and secures a job offer. However, the problem starts once the candidate secures the job role – he totally bombs it off.
Hiring the wrong talents can be costly. A study conducted by CareerBuilder estimates, that a single bad hire can cost more than $50,000. Not only financial loss, making wrong decisions regarding a hire could have serious consequences across the organisation as well. The study reveals that a bad hire tends to have numerous negative effects, such as productivity loss, few sales, negative impact on overall employee morale, and also on client relationships.
Owing to these reasons, it is imperative for hiring managers to master the art of spotting bad apples among the talent pools. Instead of being tricked by impeccable resume, listing skills and experiences, you should always watch out for these subtle signs that indicate there’s something wrong, in the personality. Take a look at the following major red flags to tip off bad candidates:
See: Why Bad Hires are Worse than No Hire
It is true that an interview is a Q&A session in which, you would like to seek detailed information about the candidate. However, you should be aware when the candidate talks about themselves and focuses solely on their opinions. If during an interview, they only talk about their past achievements with emphasis on how they made it with their own will power, this attitude should be a red signal. When they are unable to recognise someone else’s role and accomplishments, chances are, they won’t make for a good team player.
At some point of time in life, you might have to deal with a psychopath boss who forces you to leave your job in awkward situation. Nevertheless, no matter how bad they are, it cannot be a justification to vent out your stress to other people, especially to your potential employers. Qualified candidates never trash-talk their previous employer, they know how to restrain themselves and stay off bad mouthing their previous employer.
They might have a perfect CV and convincing performance during the job interview, but if they showcase unprofessional attitude, you should think twice before handing out the job offer to them.
While you want the candidates to be relaxed, make sure that they stay professional and don’t cross the line. Pay attention even to the slightest details, so you will know when they do pass inappropriate remarks and suspicious gestures.
Toxic candidates tend to act like every successful project is the result of their hard-work alone. They might mention some names of teammates and colleagues, but whenever something good comes up, bad candidates will take all the credit.
You should never hire candidates who demonstrate this attitude. Not only lack of teamwork skills, they might become a toxic hire who steals ideas from their co-workers and takes credit for the team’s success.
Good candidates never hide their shortcomings. Instead, they will discuss it with the potential employers and find out the best solution to change this weakness into strength. They are not afraid of admitting their past mistakes or failures, as they can learn and improve from such experiences.
However, if you find that the candidates are trying to hide their shortcomings and show that they are ‘perfect’, then you can be assured that this is not your ideal hire.
There is a popular saying among hiring managers, ‘hire for the attitude and train for the skills.’ As no organisation wants to invest their time, energy, and money on the bad eggs, it is time you focus not only on candidate’s hard skills, but also soft skills as well.
Read also: Hire Smart: Conducting Behavioural Interviews
