Handling the Wrong Candidate....

How to handle hiring the wrong candidate

As humans, we can sometimes be wrong with our judgement in any aspects of business. In recruiting especially, it can sometimes become obvious that after the hiring process has finished, you’ve ultimately chosen the wrong candidate.
Hiring is hard and sometimes we get it wrong, however, we must be careful when dealing with the repercussions. Here’s our suggested approach to handling the wrong hire:

1. Probation period
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A probation period acts as a extended interview, and is the newcomers chance to prove themselves worthy and to get used to their surroundings. It’s important that a probation period is honoured to it’s agreed about of time, not only for legal reasons, but to give your employee a chance to showcase what they can do to the full capacity. Use this period to make sure you’re completely decided that they’re not the right fit for the company, after all, your decision must be certain.

We also recommend asking your existing co-workers about their experience with the new employee, because chances are if you’ve seen a problem, they have to. Take more than just one opinion into consideration so you’re assured you’re not being rash.

2. Get feedback from the new hire

Feedback is never a one-way street. It's not just how you are perceiving the situation that matters, it’s inevitable that the employee shall have their opinions also.

It’s extremely important that they’re listened to and understood clearly, as there may be some hurdles getting in the way of their progression that need to be factored in by yourself. In situations like these, you MUST give the employee chance to speak up, and never assume what’s going on.

3. The hard part

You’ve brought someone in, but after lots of warning signs and doubts you feel as though you’ve come to a conclusive decision. You’ve invested enough of time in trying to make it work, but for whatever reason, it’s just not happening and it’s crystal clear that you’ve hired the wrong person.

It’s important in this situation to trust your gut and not cling on to ‘maybes’, but once you have, it’s time to arrange a discussion with the new hire.

In almost all cases, the decision shall feel mutual, and the hire shall understand that they’d be best suited in another role or another company. Try your best to be sympathetic, (but not so much you become patronising!), and avoid being insulting by digging into personal characteristics. Your conversation should be calm and as honest as possible, and should not leave a bad taste in the either participants mouthes. Prior to your first conversation, this decision should not come as a complete shock to the employee.

This should not be a dragged out situation. The longer you stall this conversation, the longer the process will take in not only finding a replacement, but also valuable headspace. Metaphorically speaking, in most ‘giving unfortunate news’ situations, you must ‘rip of the band-aid’ quickly to avoid dragging out and worsening the news telling.

4. Moving on

Once the initial probation is completed and the new hire is has heard your reasoning for letting them go, it’s imperative that the moving on process is swift. Explain to co-workers your feelings (chances are theirs we’re the same) and try not to dwell. This is a chance to show maturity in your leadership, and not bad-mouth your former employee.

5) Turning hiring mistakes into a better recruitment process

Like stated, it’s completely normal top get things wrong in the world of business, especially when recruitment isn’t your niche or strong suit. That’s why outsourcing the help of our recruitment agency can benefit you massively with regards to bettering your recruitment process, and avoiding bad hires.

A recruitment agency can carry out an excessive amount of research with regards to your ideal candidate and ensure a thorough screening process of candidates. They can also track and pinpoint exact moments in strategy that didn’t convert well, and evaluate next steps.
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Avoid hiring the wrong employee by outsourcing EPQ recruitment!