Did You Hire a Jerk?

Did you hire a jerk? Or at least someone who is not who they seemed to be? If you are feeling regrets about a recent hire, it’s easy to place blame on the new hire, believing that they changed, or have a bad attitude. Ultimately though, there are often steps that could have been implemented in the hiring process that could have predicted behavior, or prevented a potentially misaligned hire.

While in the screening process there are a few things that could be done to ensure a better fit with the hires role and the company dynamics. Consider using Predictive Index testing to determine your potential future hire’s strengths prior to committing to them. Work with a consultant to communicate what exact attributes you’re looking for to ensure a good match. Even Strengths Finder would be an affordable option to identify areas that are lacking or over developed for the role.

If you have a small, close-knit team, or if a lot of team work and collaboration is needed for the new hire to thrive; consider having the existing team meet with the top 2 hires to get their opinion prior to committing to the hire. A simple coffee shop meet-up for 30 minutes is enough for your existing employees to find common ground, determine fit, and feel involved in the building of their team. A team involved in the hiring process will also be more inclined to make a new hire work out since there is an added layer of personal accountability if that hire doesn’t work out.

If the hire is made already and it’s recent, it may be time to do a formal or informal look into their mid-to post onboarding engagement level. Try to assess if there are differences in personality, or if perhaps they are disgruntled with the company and their co-workers already. The reasons for this could be varied and may be difficult to pinpoint. Perhaps your new hire hasn’t been welcomed warmly by their co-workers, sees a discrepancy between the role they are taking on and then one they applied for, or expected more perks or flexibility than is currently being offered. Have a frank discussion to try to pinpoint the issue and then shift your engagement strategy going forward.

If your existing hire is proving to not be problematic, check out our other blog posts on team management or check out our webinar series – relevant topics include Fighting Unconscious Bias in the Workplace (April 20^th) or Keeping Negativity Out of the Workplace (October 20^th).