You have a key position open and it\u2019s been open for a while, a problem that\u2019s hurting your organization.<\/p>\n
Thank goodness you also have a stack of resumes. But as you pore through the pile, filtering out the clear \u201cno ways,\u201d you get discouraged. There are only a few resumes left.<\/p>\n
You meet them in person.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s one person you love. During the reference check, her former boss is so complimentary that after the call, he decides he can\u2019t let her go and counters with an offer she can\u2019t refuse.<\/p>\n
The runner up is fine. No real red flags. Maybe a \u201cpink flag?\u201d Just some minor things. Those can be worked around, right? You really <\/em>need to fill the job.<\/p>\n You can make this work. You\u2019re going to hire the runner up.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the best advice I have for you.<\/p>\n STOP! Read this first!<\/p>\n Are you unsure if somebody you\u2019ve hired is mediocre? Here\u2019s how you can tell.<\/p>\n The Interview Debrief<\/strong><\/p>\n The First Week<\/strong><\/p>\n Three Months In<\/strong><\/p>\n The Telltale Sign<\/strong><\/p>\n It comes in the form of a single sentence.<\/p>\n \u201cOK, we made the wrong hire. But the instability of making a change will be highly problematic. We have to figure out how to make this work.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Uh. Actually you don\u2019t have to make it work.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Clearly, it\u2019s better to have an unfilled position than hire somebody who\u2019s not a star (or at least a potential star.) But it\u2019s painful<\/em> to keep a position open for a long time. You need<\/em> somebody doing that work. In the meantime, the rest of your staff is picking up the slack. Or maybe you are. But either way, that doesn\u2019t feel sustainable.<\/p>\n So how do you stop yourself from settling? How do you get buy-in from your team to keep looking?<\/p>\n Don\u2019t Ignore Pink Flags<\/strong><\/p>\n Keep asking questions when an answer doesn\u2019t seem to really hit the mark. Ask for a specific example. Your job is to be an excellent interviewer and to tease out problems, not justify less than five-star answers.<\/p>\n Add Another Round of Interviews<\/strong><\/p>\n Bring the candidate back. This seems so obvious to me but sometimes folks are too driven by a set process. Maybe bring back #2 and #3. Before they arrive, make sure you are clear on the areas you want to probe. The candidate may rise to the occasion, but more often than not the probing will unearth the flag and may in fact turn it bright red.<\/p>\n Dig Deeper On References<\/strong><\/p>\n Work with colleagues and\/or the search committee to ask first-rate questions that really dig into the \u201cflag\u201d areas. Far too often, folks rush through reference checks and ask very general questions. You can\u2019t afford that here.<\/p>\n Work Hard to Do a Background Check<\/strong><\/p>\n If the person has some connection to your work (and I really hope so,) you should only be a degree or two of separation from a person who is not on the reference list and will talk off the record. Today, references mean less and less with issues of liability top of mind. So finding that other person becomes important. Critical, if you think you sniff mediocrity.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t Carry The Decision Burden Alone<\/strong><\/p>\n A time constraint, an open position, and a \u2018fine\u2019 candidate can cloud your judgment. Get a second or third opinion. If you are part of a search committee and there is not a clear home run candidate, talk about it!<\/em> Have a big long conversation about what the pros and cons are. Please try to leave the \u201cwhat do we do while we are waiting\u201d conversation aside. Talk through this with your boss or your colleagues.<\/p>\n Get Buy-in Around Waiting<\/strong><\/p>\n OK, so you have followed the steps above and decided to keep the spot open. You\u2019re going to re-open the search. Bring the key people together, explain your thinking, and walk them through your process. Highlight the section I\u2019ve written above about why a mediocre hire is a bad idea. They will all get it and want to be part of the solution. I promise you. No one wants to work with a mediocre colleague (who is likely worse than that).<\/p>\n Share the Load<\/strong><\/p>\n Now you have buy-in. Your team agrees that the position should remain open. This buy-in alone will get you something very valuable \u00ad\u2013 because they will not want just anyone<\/em> in the position, they will be more willing to share the load. You have shown them respect by telling them they deserve a stronger colleague.<\/p>\n You were going to pay this new hire something. So don\u2019t be penny-wise and pound-foolish. Take some of that money and throw it at the challenge. Give your team a bonus, or something<\/em> tangible, for taking on extra work. If that is not an option, consider hiring a temp or a freelancer to help while you continue your search. You can\u2019t not make the hire and then try to save the money. You will lose all the good will you created by securing buy-in.<\/p>\n Engage your team more actively in building a new candidate pool. Have a working lunch with a group of folks and start brainstorming. You may come up with some new ideas.<\/p>\n Bottom line? Make sure people thoroughly understand your process and your commitment to making first-rate hires (just like them). Toss money somewhere as a stopgap and then it will be oh so much easier to bring the group together to be fully engaged in working with you to build a new pool of candidates.<\/p>\n Now it\u2019s your turn. I\u2019d love for you to answer the following questions in the comments below.<\/p>\n 1) Have you ever compromised by hiring a mediocre candidate because you felt like the position must be filled immediately?<\/p>\n 2) Did it work out OK? Or did you regret it later?<\/p>\n 3) How long did the person stay? Often, a mediocre candidate will leave on his own (if it\u2019s not a good match, it\u2019s not a good match.) Is that what happened?<\/p>\n 4) What could you have done differently during the hiring process to find a better candidate?<\/p>\n And finally, please share this article with others in your organization that are responsible for or influence hiring decisions.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You need to fill a position. You have a candidate. She’s OK. Not a rock star. Here\u2019s the best advice I have for you. STOP! Read this first.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":584118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-584117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ceo","category-senior-staff"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n3 REASONS A MEDIOCRE HIRE IS A BIG PROBLEM<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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SIGNS YOU HAVE MADE A MEDIOCRE HIRE<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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HOW TO HOLD OFF HIRING SOMEBODY WITHOUT DRIVING YOUR TEAM CRAZY<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
YOUR TURN<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n