Tips to Prevent Poor Hiring Decisions

Three unpopular ways companies can remove bias from their hiring process. 👯 More interviewers Those posts that go viral about hiring someone after a single coffee chat? Or mocking hiring managers that need a panel ? That's all bias - decisions based on gut instincts instead of with objective criteria. Instead, involve multiple interviewers with different perspectives - a peers and key stakeholders may have different interactions with the new team member, and their input can help you make a better decision. 🔎 This is backed up research from Harvard that shows that structured interviews with multiple interviewers are 2x more predictive of success in the role than unstructured ones. 🪧 Assess skills I know skills assessments aren't popular, and many people claim that they won't engage in a process that includes them. But lots of people can talk the talk and make up examples in interviews. It's harder to fake hard skills. If you're hiring a financial analyst, ask them to build a model using dummy data. If you're hiring a social media manager, ask them to create a plan for a campaign for a fake product. Work samples are great as well! And then dig in with questions to fully understand what they did, why they made the choices they made, etc. to ensure they didn't just submit something where someone else did the work. 🔎 And the research backs it up: the Aberdeen Group did a study that showed that those who completed skills assessments had a 36% higher rate of retention in their roles than those who didn't. 💰 Don't negotiate Negotiation increases inequity. When companies are big on negotiation, hiring managers will suggest things like "let's go in at X so when they negotiate we can bump up to Y." Then the candidates who don't ask for more end up underpaid. It promotes playing games and the people who are afraid to push are the ones who will be negatively impacted. Instead, companies should be transparent about their salary ranges and how compensation is determined, and then apply those practices consistently across all hires. Adjusting offers should be reserved for the rare cases where a candidate brings new information to the table around their qualifications or ability to have an impact, or the company realizes they're misaligned to the market. Now, I do know that many companies don't operate this way so it never hurts to ask, but just know that if a company comes up a lot with their offer after you negotiate, that's a signal that they were happy to try to lowball you. 🔎 And again, research backs this up: countless studies from McKinsey to Leanin to Harvard show that there are differences in who negotiates and in how negotiation is perceived, and this hurts people from marginalized groups. Like I said, these aren't necessarily popular ideas - they are more work for companies AND candidates. But they are research-backed ways to make hiring more equitable. And that's something we should all support.

Have you ever ignored a small concern in hiring, only for it to turn into a major issue later? Let me tell about the time that led me straight into a hiring disaster. We were in a crunch. A critical role needed to be filled, and we didn’t have the luxury of waiting for the perfect candidate. The person in front of me had a great resume, solid credentials, and said all the right things in the interview. But something—something subtle—felt off. The candidate had some sort of an excuse at every step along the way, yet he was progressing through the rounds of interviews. He bailed out on the day he needs to show up at the client location. May be it was the way he dodged a question about availability. Or the hesitation when asked about handling uncertainty. It was tiny, barely noticeable, but it stuck with me. And yet, the need of the hour took over. We made the hire. It didn’t take long before my gut feeling proved right—unconventional questions, and an unwillingness to truly integrate with the team. What seemed like small red flags in the interview turned into full-blown fires. It failed on the face. That was the moment I realized: instincts matter, but noticing subtle nuances matters more. Lesson: The Subtleties That Separate a Great Hire from a Bad One Hiring isn’t just about checking qualifications or relying on gut instinct alone—it’s about paying attention to the subtle details that reveal who someone truly is. 🔹 Tiny Red Flags Are Never Just Tiny → If something feels off, pause and investigate. A hesitation, a vague answer, or an avoidance of a key topic could signal deeper issues. 🔹 Pressure Leads to Compromise → Just because a role needs to be filled quickly doesn’t mean we should ignore warning signs. The cost of a bad hire is far greater than waiting a little longer for the right one. 🔹 Gut + Data = The Smartest Decision → Trust your instincts, but validate them. Ask follow-up questions. Look for patterns. Dig deeper rather than dismissing your concerns. Now, when something feels “off,” I don’t brush it aside—I lean in and pay attention. Hiring decisions should never be rushed at the expense of long-term success.

Dwight Jackson, a Black man, claims that the Shinola Hotel denied him a job interview because of his race. He knows this, he says, because he reapplied for the same job at the same hotel with the same resume ... with one key difference. He changed his name to John Jebrowski. While the hotel didn't offer Jackson an interview, it did offer one to Jebrowski. That, Jackson says in his recently filed lawsuit, is race discrimination. Inherent bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that unconsciously affect our understanding, actions, and decisions. These biases can silently influence hiring decisions, leading to discrimination based on characteristics such as race. Name bias is one example of how inherent biases manifest themselves. What can an employer do to prevent these inherent biases from infecting hiring decisions? Here are 7 suggestions: 1. Implement blind hiring practices by removing identifying information from resumes and applications. 2. Develop a structured interview process with standardized questions for all candidates. 3. Use scorecards to evaluate responses consistently. 4. Train hiring managers on recognizing and mitigating inherent biases. 5. Form diverse interview panels to provide multiple perspectives on each candidate. 6. Analyze hiring data and practices to identify and address patterns of bias. 7. Define clear, job-related criteria for evaluating candidates. Eliminating inherent bias is critical to create fair and inclusive hiring practices, which in turn helps create diverse and inclusive workplaces. It also helps eliminate the risk of expensive and nasty discrimination lawsuits.

Every interviewer is looking for something different. One values experience. Another prioritizes culture fit. A third is focused on skills. This hidden hiring mistake is costing top talent. Most teams don’t even realize they’re making it. They think they have a solid hiring process. They screen. They interview. They discuss. But there’s one problem... No one is on the same page. Suddenly, a great candidate gets rejected, not because they weren’t the right fit, but because your team wasn’t aligned. Here is a playbook to fix it... ✅ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱 → Define key skills and characteristics so every interviewer rates candidates on the same criteria. ✅ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 → Teach hiring managers to assess candidates consistently and avoid bias. ✅ 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 → Get aligned on what success looks like for this role before bringing in candidates. When your team is clear on what they’re looking for, decisions become faster, stronger, and more objective. The result? • Better hires • Less bias • A smoother process How aligned is your hiring team right now? Need help getting them there?

In 2007, I had to lay off over 50% of my sales team. It sucked. So I went on a quest. It was hard but I improved my hiring success rate to over 80% with 5 steps. Here they are... 1️⃣ Define the characteristics of what a great hire looks like IN WRITING 2️⃣ Develop a non-negotiable interview template for each interviewer to use 3️⃣ Develop a quick but thorough multi-step interview process (less than 2 weeks) to assess all of your defined characteristics. 4️⃣ Evaluate your hires 6 months later and ask "knowing what I know now, would I hire this person again?" (Yeah, it's that complex) 5️⃣ Optimize the hiring process accordingly. If you want to improve your hiring success rates, you must have an intentional process. Am I missing any steps?

Hiring is HARD. Period. No one has a foolproof method to build a world-class team in this hyper-competitive market. After spending countless hours on hiring, some lessons have become glaringly obvious, while others have smacked me in the face. Here are my top 10 takeaways: 🔥 Hire Slow, Fire Fast: Take your time to get the right person on board, but if they’re not working out, don’t drag your feet. It’s better for everyone involved. 🔥 Cultural Fit is Crucial: Skills can be taught, but values and culture are ingrained. Make sure your new hire fits with the team dynamics and company ethos. 🔥 Diverse Teams Win: Diversity isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a competitive advantage. Teams with varied backgrounds bring different perspectives and innovative solutions. 🔥 Over-communicate: Clear, frequent communication can prevent misunderstandings and keep everyone aligned. Ensure your expectations and feedback are transparent. 🔥 Reference Checks Matter: Don’t skip them. Dig deep into past performances and behaviors. Patterns of excellence or issues often repeat. 🔥 Look for Adaptability: The business landscape changes rapidly. Employees who can pivot and adapt will be invaluable. 🔥 Test for Skills: Don’t just rely on resumes and interviews. Use practical tests and real-world tasks to see how candidates perform under pressure. 🔥 Invest in Training: Once you’ve hired great talent, invest in their development. Continuous learning and growth are essential for keeping your team sharp. 🔥 Use Data, Not Just Gut Feelings: Track metrics on your hiring process and employee performance. Data-driven decisions are often more accurate than intuition alone. 🔥 Empower Your Team: Give them the autonomy to make decisions and take ownership. A sense of trust and responsibility can drive motivation and productivity. Hiring is tough, but with these strategies, you can navigate the challenges and build a formidable team. Stay resilient, stay focused, and remember, even the best leaders learn from their hiring missteps.

Most hiring decisions happen in the first 10 minutes after an interview. That's the problem. Just watched a strong candidate get rejected. Not because of skills. Not because of experience. But because the hiring manager "had a feeling." Feelings don't build great teams. Structure does. Last week, I ran a debrief for a VP search. The loudest voice started with "I just didn't click with her." I stopped him. Made everyone score the candidate against our predetermined criteria. Made everyone share concrete examples from the interview. Made everyone justify their ratings with evidence. The "gut feeling" disappeared. The candidate moved forward. Unstructured debriefs create chaos: 📛 The loudest voices dominate  📛 Recent interviews get inflated ratings  📛 Bias creeps in through "culture fit" comments  📛 First impressions override actual qualifications Strong recruiters control this process. They don't just schedule interviews.  They don't just collect feedback.  They drive structured decision-making. No feelings. No vibes. No guesswork. Just clear criteria and evidence-based discussions. Your hiring success isn't determined in the interview. It's determined in the debrief. And if you're not controlling that conversation, someone's bias is. #Recruiting #ExecutiveSearch #Hiring #Leadership

On average, a bad hire can cost up to 30% of the employee’s annual salary (source: U.S. Department of Labor). But the real damage is hidden in places most leaders overlook Here’s what a bad hire costs you: -Time wasted on interviews, onboarding, and micromanagement - Team morale when others have to pick up the slack - Lost opportunities because projects stall or underperform - Client trust when deliverables miss the mark - Brand reputation when poor hires interact with customers So why do bad hires happen? Because most hiring decisions are based on: ❌ A rushed process ❌ Gut feeling over structured evaluation ❌ Vague job descriptions that attract the wrong fit ❌ Not assessing for cultural alignment and long-term potential ✅ Here’s how to avoid the hiring trap: 1. Get clear on the real needs of the role - Define outcomes, not just responsibilities. Ask: - What should this person have achieved 6 months from now? 2. Improve your screening process - Use practical assessments, not just interviews. - See how they think, communicate, and solve problems. 3. Hire for attitude, train for skill - A perfect resume means little if they lack curiosity, ownership, and adaptability. 4.Involve the team - Let potential teammates be part of the process. They’ll catch red flags leadership might miss. 5.Don’t skip reference checks - Ask past employers: - Would you rehire this person? - That one question can tell you everything. Hiring is one of the most expensive decisions you’ll ever make. Do it intentionally, or prepare to pay for it. P.S What’s one red flag you’ve learned never to ignore when hiring? #HiringMistakes #BusinessLeadership #TeamBuilding #WorkplaceCulture #LeadershipTips #HRStrategy #HiringRight #RecruitmentTips #LeadershipCoaching #Hiring #Recruiters #Hr #LinkedInForBusiness #Recruiter #HiringManager #HR #Staffing