Just as a good hire can bring great things to a company, a bad hire can be very damaging. It is important to keep an eye out for any signs that a prospective employee could not be a good fit for the position, and it is also crucial to have an up-to-date Direct Hire/Personnel Consultants Professional Liability (E&O) policy in place in order to make the direct hire process run as smoothly as possible.
While most candidates are on their most professional behavior during the hiring process, there are a few signs that can give away that someone may not be the best candidate for your company.
Questionable History
Before the interviewing process even begins, it is important to keep an eye out for warning signs that appear on resumes. A resume with numerous gaps in employment, multiple career path changes, and constant “job hopping” from one position and location to another can be indicative of someone who will be difficult to work with and keep in a permanent position.
The resume itself should also be professional and well-formatted. According to CNN, resumes with spelling and grammatical errors, unprofessional or missing email addresses, and excessive formatting can seriously undermine one’s credibility.
Lack of Preparation
During the interview, there are certain signs that a prospective hire may not have prepared for the interview. Someone who does not prepare well for the interview is likely to be an unprepared employee. A candidate who arrives at the interview late, misses their interview, is not dressed appropriately, and comes without their resume and other relevant documentation will likely not be committed to the job.
One of the biggest signs that a candidate is ill-prepared is a lack of questions for you, the interviewer. As Forbes states, asking questions during an interview is not just a way for interviewees to show that they are engaged in the interview, but a way for them to have a better understanding of the position and whether it is right for them. A candidate who does not have any questions or only asks vague, surface-level questions may not be serious about the job you are offering.
Unprofessional Behavior
Nobody likes a braggart, but an interviewee should be able to explain their qualifications and work history in a professional and knowledgeable manner. Someone who spends the interview constantly talking him or herself up and boasting will most likely be difficult to work with, and a candidate who cannot go into detail about his or her previous work and answer specific questions may not have been an effective employee in the past and may have inflated their resume.
Fortune stresses the importance of discussing past employment professionally – while it is understandable that personality clashes can occur, a candidate who spends the interview gossiping unkindly about their previous co-workers is likely to negatively affect the office atmosphere. In addition, rambling, casual or crude language, and lack of eye contact can be signs of disorganized, unprofessional workers.
About World Wide
For the last 50 years, World Wide Specialty ProgramsWorld Wide Specialty Programs has dedicated itself to providing the optimal products and solutions for the staffing industry. As the only insurance firm to be an ASA commercial liability partner, we are committed to that partnership and committed to using our knowledge of the industry to provide staffing firms with the best possible coverage. For more information about how we can protect your staffing business, give us a call at 877-256-0468 to speak with one of our representatives.