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Bad hires can be costly – by some estimates, draining tens of thousands of dollars from a company for each failed candidate.

For this reason, hiring managers need to be good at detecting the type of job candidates who look fantastic on paper, but bomb once they get into a position.

Fortunately there are some major red flags and a few subtle signs that can tip you off to a future bad employee.

Trash talking former co-workers, bosses or companies

We’ve all left an employer on less-than-ideal terms, so it’s understandable that a candidate might want to vent their frustrations when someone asks them about a previous job. The thing is – a job interview isn’t the time or place to do it.

A truly good job candidate needs to show tasteful restraint in an interview, meaning no bashing old co-workers or companies. You want employees with discretion, not ones prone to gossip.

Unprofessional words or actions

Have your receptionist, security personnel and any other front-facing employees take notice of candidates as they come in for an interview. You’ll want these initial point-of-contact employees to be on the lookout for any inappropriate actions, particularly if you’re hiring a person who will publicly represent your organization.

During the interview, you want your candidates to be casual and relaxed, yet professional. If the candidate gets so comfortable that the conversation veers into the inappropriate, you should consider that a red flag.

Doesn’t show personal insight or accountability

You should be trying to hire employees who are self aware, who know what their faults are, and will confess to having made mistakes in the past.

Asking candidates about weaknesses or past mistakes gives them a chance to show some real honesty and humility. Good answers to these questions will also show a candidate who is analytical and has a problem-solving mentality.

A major red flag would be if a candidate doesn’t admit to any major past mistakes, or gives a stock answer, like “I try too hard and burn myself out,” when asked about weaknesses.

Does show a tendency for narcissism

To piggyback off that last point, you want a candidate that is self-aware – but who isn’t a narcissist. People who are self-centered tend to be closed off to the ideas of others and don’t function well as part of a team.

Of course, an interview demands that a candidate talks about themselves, but ideally they should also mention any support they’ve gotten from colleagues, supervisors, friends or family. If a person strictly talks or brags about what they’ve done, it’s a sign they may have a “me first” approach to their work.

You should want to hire a candidate who readily talks about how the help of others allowed them to get to where they are today.

At Cornerstone, we deal with a lot of job candidates, and have a long history of placing those best qualified for a job at a particular company. If your organization is looking to outsource its staffing processes, please feel free to contact us today.


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