A short time ago, I brought you the first of three installments in the You Might Have Hired the Wrong Person If … series. In the series, I explain some workplace behaviors that could raise some red flags about an employee or two that you may have in your workforce. In part two, I offer three more reasons why you might have hired the wrong person.
You might have hired the wrong person if…
The employee doesn’t take ownership or accountability. Owning up to your mistakes is critical in any professional role. If an employee is eager to blame others when a mistake is made, it will be very difficult for this individual to learn, grow, and develop their skills.
You might have hired the wrong person if…
The employee has a negative attitude. A positive attitude can make all the difference in your job (or in your everyday life). Employees that are pessimistic or cynical and those that don’t put forth a good effort are more likely to underperform or poorly perform. In addition, an individual with a negative attitude can have a significant impact on the morale of the rest of the team. On the other hand, having the right attitude positively correlates with being more successful on the job. It’s true that there’s power to positive thinking, but a negative attitude rarely gets you anywhere.
You might have hired the wrong person if…
The employee doesn’t know how to adequately problem solve. Many professional careers today require the ability to quickly and correctly synthesize a lot of information to reach a desired outcome. An employee that can’t gather information from his or her surroundings to draw conclusions and solve a problem will likely not perform well in your organization. In a similar sense, your employees should be proactive and willing to step up when confronted with a problem that needs solving.
By assessing candidates up-front in the hiring process with job-specific assessments and asking the right interview questions, the agony of hiring the wrong person can be prevented. With the high costs of turnover and the inconveniences of hiring a poor fit, individuals that do not seriously rethink their selection system may be the butt of the joke and creating their own “You might have hired the wrong person if…” list in the future.
Author Bio: Jason D. Frizzell, M.S., is a Consultant for Select International with experience in designing and implementing valid and legally defensible selection systems across a number of industries. He is involved in project management, supporting and managing clients within the healthcare, manufacturing, technology, retail, call center, mining, and transportation industries to help each in identifying, selecting, and developing top talent.