Don’t Mortgage Your Future on a Bad Hire

Sometimes, you just need a little elbow room. With a teenager, 2 preschoolers, a toddler, and a dog in our tiny old house, “busting at the seams” was an understatement! So last year, my husband and I made the big decision to start shopping for a new house.

We needed this one to be just right; our next home had to be an environment where my girls would have space to grow and where my family could live for a long, long time. We had to consider our kids’ schools and our commutes. And even though that  infinity pool sure looked nice, we also had to keep a watchful eye on our budget!

Don’t Spend a Dime Until You Spend Some Time

I knew finding our perfect home would take time. We certainly didn’t want to make a quick decision and end up with regrets. So we were willing to be patient and spent months making sure our home was exactly what our family needed. It wasn’t easy at the time, but now we are thankful we took the slow and steady approach.

As a recruiter, I realized that searching for a new home is a lot like searching for a new employee. It takes time to find the right fit. Making the right hire is critical because – like a home – you want your investment in your new employee to last for a long, long time.

Slow and Steady Wins the Hiring Race

So how long does it take before you can know an employee is a fit? Can you know whether a candidate will match your company’s culture after an 8 hour day? Could you confidently bring a temp-to-hire employee on board after only a 40 hour work week? It’s just like home shopping; rushing into this choice can have long and costly repercussions.

It’s hard to evaluate a candidate’s work ethic, charisma, dependability, and overall job performance in just a few days. After all, we are naturally on our best behavior during our first few weeks of employment.

What we have discovered at The Liberty Group is that it is worth investing time and money into a candidate up front to really see what he or she is capable of. The alternative is rushing things – and all too often discovering later that the candidate is not what you expected.  (Kind of like finding out that dream house with the unbelievable price is actually a fixer-upper with a fresh coat of paint!) The hiring process can be expensive, so why not take time to evaluate your candidate and ensure he or she can (and will) perform to your requirements? Can you really figure that out in just a week or two?

We live in a fast-paced society where immediate gratification is expected. If the candidate is friendly, well dressed, on time, and experienced, is that really enough to invest your time, money, and dedication? Are you truly ready to put your residents, prospects, company, and personal reputation into this person’s hands? It’s time to slow down the wheels and start hiring smarter and not quicker.