09/12/16
By: Jack Goodner, Ed.D.
Sometimes, organizations put “a hard press” on hiring managers to get people on board quickly with little or no thought given to if these individuals are a good fit or not. However, just because a candidate held a related position(s) for an extended period of time doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she was actually successful. Some managers and leaders simply let underperformance persist much longer than they should. Moreover, in the initial hiring stage, they often ignore red flags in a desire to get positions filled expeditiously.
Carr Assessments was involved in such a situation. We met with the client selection committee to review candidates for three sales positions. The committee had chosen to build a pool of candidates and then requested that Carr review the finalists. Carr provided reports based upon the candidates’ responses on the assessment instruments and provided a rating as to the likelihood that each would be successful.
A morning was set aside to make decisions. However, the problem was that, in the analysis by Carr, none of the candidates was seen to be qualified. At this point, the senior executive entered the meeting. The results were explained. Upon hearing the results, he stated, “let’s at least hire one of them.” Unfortunately, the individual selected never became productive to the point that he would offset his own expenses. The only positive thing that came out of this was that the aforementioned senior executive gave Carr’s assessment process much more credence the next time the company had openings.
In conclusion, the central message here is: Don’t Settle for Less. Impulsively making hiring decisions, especially in the face of considerable objective information strongly suggesting a reconsideration, is not a strategy for success. “Warm bodies” don’t always turn into strong performers.
