JSG Blog

Keeping clients and candidates current.

How To Avoid False-Positive Hiring Decisions

How To Avoid False-Positive Hiring Decisions

There is an art to interviewing, and just because someone has mastered that aspect it doesn’t necessarily mean they are the right person to hire, which is why we want to discuss false-positive hiring. This is when you hire someone who excels during the interview but underperforms on the job once hired. How can you avoid making this fateful mistake? Follow these 3 steps to ensure that you aren’t hiring candidates just because they’re an expert interviewer.

Dig deeper

Many interviews feature the same questions. “Why do you want to work here?” “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” “Why should we hire you?” And while these questions can be an effective initial gauge, it’s crucial to push candidates a little further in order to understand their true personalities and motivations. Always ask candidates to elaborate on their answers and ask further questions based on their responses.

Seek diversity

When sifting through resumes and conducting interviews, be sure to assess a variety of candidates. Seek diversity in gender, age, ethnicity, experience, and more. It’s been proven that teams with more diversity consistently perform better and are overall more successful. Additionally, this will allow you to avoid confirmation bias, wherein you hire someone whom you think would be suitable for the job without actually assessing their skills

Set clear expectations about the job (and follow-through)

When candidates have an idyllic concept of the job they’re interviewing for in their mind, they may just say anything necessary to get the job. To truly understand if someone will be a good fit, explain all aspects of the job, good and bad. Ask behavioral questions centered around the challenges of the position to avoid false-positive hiring. Pry the candidate on how they work on teams, individually, and how they like to be managed. Discuss 30, 60, and 90-day goals and how employees are evaluated at each stage. Be sure to follow through on those evaluations, and don’t be afraid to set high expectations!

Looking for more tips on how to improve your hiring process? Connect with one of our experienced team members today!

Share It

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn