You may have been recruiting for a certain skillset for a long time or maybe you chose the first person that came along. It might be that the need was urgent or that a person was referred to you, but deep down, your gut feeling was that this person wasn’t a good fit.

One’s intuition is often right and ideally, you wouldn’t recruit someone unless you and your team were 100% convinced. But, we often get it wrong and when we do, what is the impact of recruiting the wrong person and how can we avoid it?

What Is The Impact Of Recruiting The Wrong Person?

OK, I’ve sensationalised the impact a bit, but unfortunately, in reality, it is true that in many industries, recruiting the wrong person can cost you your job! Sales is a good example – people carry targets, as does the manager, meaning that if his or her team misses their target, that person could find themselves looking for a new position.

Having people in customer service who aren’t customer friendly or people who just don’t have the right interpersonal skills, can cost you clients.

It’s frightening to think how much damage recruiting the wrong person in the health sector or in an IT position could have and we’ve all probably heard some amusing anecdotes about this, but how do we avoid it?

How To Avoid Recruiting Bad Candidates

Below are 10 key considerations you should make every time you recruit someone.

1. Review your processes; what has worked well in the past and what hasn’t?
2. Why are you recruiting this person and what skills are required? – Discover the job responsibilities for your vacancy here.
3. Who are the decision-makers and what involvement does each person require?
4. Consider company culture and the dynamics of the team.
5. What is the easiest way to find candidates quickly at a low cost? – Read 17 Ways To Reduce Recruitment Costs.
6. What is the budget for the position?
7. How many applicants do you need and how many candidates should you interview?
8. How many interviews are you expecting the candidate to attend and what will be required during the interview process? – Visit our interviews hub for employers.
9. What is the start date & how long is the recruitment process likely to be?
10. How do you propose to reference them and will you do background checks?

For a complete recruitment overview, read A Guide On How To Hire.