A bad hiring decision can have a hefty price tag for employers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, which estimates a cost of at least 30% of the new employee’s expected earnings during their first year on the job if they leave the role quickly.
Then there’s the very real human toll. As any hiring manager will tell you, being responsible for a bad hire is a demoralizing career experience and can affect morale in a department or an entire organization. Even with best practices for hiring in place at most companies, 74% of employers said they have hired the wrong person for a position.
Employers aren’t the only ones who pay the price of a bad hire. New employees suffer financially and emotionally, too. Many new hires are willing to quit quickly if they sense a bad fit, even if it puts them in a stressful situation short term.
Why are there so many bad hires? Many factors can affect hiring — and job acceptance — decisions. Most employers and candidates want the best possible outcomes, but there are red flags they shouldn’t ignore during the hiring process to ensure a good fit.
Red flags for hiring managers
First of all, no hiring manager has a perfect score. Putting too much pressure on yourself and employing an overly rigorous hiring process can have unintended consequences.
That said, there’s a lot of pressure on hiring managers right now to fill jobs quickly with a limited talent pool. That sense of urgency can influence hiring managers to overlook things about the candidate that gave them pause. And then there are the times you hit it off with a candidate, and you want them at your company even if it’s not the right role.
Here are some red flags to watch for during the interview process with a candidate:
- Seems disinterested. Today’s job market is one that favors candidates, with an estimated two candidates for every job posting, but your time is valuable.
- Hasn’t done their homework. Depending on the level of the job you’re trying to fill, every candidate should know what your company does, its position in the marketplace and core values, and high-level candidates should know more. Researching a company online is easy to do and shows true interest.
- Provides canned answers. It’s good to be prepared for common interview questions, but it’s better when candidates answer questions thoughtfully, referencing their research on your company.
- High job turnover. Keeping in mind that the average tenure can be based on industry, role, the age of the employee, gender, and other factors, seeing an unusually fast turnover on a candidate’s resume is something worth questioning.
- Isn’t listening actively. If your candidate isn’t able to navigate an unscripted interview, they may be nervous, but they also might not be actively listening, and just eager to provide their next prepared answer.
- Unprofessional online presence. According to LinkedIn, 51% of employers who check the social media profiles of candidates have found content that disqualified the person from continuing the hiring process.
- Vague language. When a candidate can’t provide specific examples or metrics that illustrate or quantify their experience with a method or skill, it can be a sign that they’ve exaggerated their qualifications for your role.
- Discrepancies. Common exaggerations on resumes and during interviews include inflations of salary and job titles, and employment dates. According to LinkedIn, 85% of employers have caught a lie on a resume.
Red flags for candidates
Hiring managers aren’t the only ones who ignore red flags during the interview process. Candidates are sometimes motivated to overlook signs that the job — or the company — might not be the best fit for them.
Here are some red flags candidates should look for during the interview process:
- Scheduling conflicts. If done right, preparing for a job interview is serious business, and when a hiring manager cancels — or even worse, forgets — your meeting, it can be a sign that the manager or the company is disorganized.
- Too many interviews. A drawn-out hiring process can indicate dysfunction within an organization and shows a lack of respect for your time as a candidate.
- Vague job description. Hiring managers should be able to provide you with specific answers to your questions about what you will be expected to do, how you will be supported, and the ways your success in the position will be measured. If they can’t give you a detailed description of your potential role, it’s a red flag.
- Red flag language. Job descriptions that refer to colleagues as “family” and use phrases like “work hard, play hard” and “fast-paced environment” can indicate a lack of boundaries and an expectation that employees will not have a healthy balance of work and personal time.
- Lack of preparation. In the same way, candidates show up to an interview under-prepared, hiring managers may convey a lack of interest when they demonstrate they haven’t read your resume and ask canned questions.
- Inappropriate questions. Although there are laws that clearly state what hiring managers can and cannot ask during an interview, some continue to ask questions that can illuminate many biases, including racism, sexism, and ageism.
- Lack of pay transparency. Increasingly, many cities and states are legally requiring companies to share a salary range on all job postings, and it’s now considered a best practice to openly disclose pay for a job early in the hiring process.
- Exploding job offers. Job offers with an expiration date are essentially an ultimatum, which just feels controlling.
In our next post, we’ll highlight the green flags hiring managers and candidates can look for as they navigate the interviewing process that indicate a person is a good potential hire – or that the position is right for a candidate.
