Avoid a "bad hire" though character profiling and asking the "right questions".

It's always frustrating to make a "bad hire".

By bad hire, I mean the person could have really stood out on paper, shone through a multi-step interview process, and hit all the capability markers your company required, but then 1 week into the role it's apparent that for whatever reason, they're not right.

Perhaps they are not gelling with the rest of the team, despite interacting positively with them during the interview process.

Perhaps the individual doesn't seem focused on motivated, won't take direction from management, or they are just not picking up the role or pace as required.

A bad hire costs time, money and patience, so let us help you avoid them.

Firstly, for each position that you're looking to fill, it's helpful to have a character profile with a clear definition of the characteristics that would be ideal for the role and your company as a whole.

For example, you might have a team with of quietly focused individuals, but you need someone more extroverted for a particular role in your office. You can balance these requirements with someone upbeat, but also empathetic and socially aware, to meet the demands of the role without tipping the team off balance.

You might have a team of extroverts that have great rapport with customers but lack consistency and regularly make administrative mistakes. In this instance you might be looking for a team leader with strong attention to detail and level headed consistency, who's also able to communicate with a high energy team and optimise their performance.

If you're unsure of the right personality fit for your team, your recruiter can sit down with you and help you with this.

On occasion there will be someone that seems to tick all the boxes during the interview process, but when you get them through the door, this person has an unprofessional and demotivated attitude towards the role.

Here are some questions you can ask throughout the interview process, to better ascertain a candidate's personality type, attitude towards the workplace and authority, and suitability for your team. They are tailored to encourage casual and open conversation, rather than pre-planned or sugarcoated answers.

Additionally, in their answers, you can compare their ideal workplace environment and management style with your own, to understand fit.

• In your previous role, can you describe the most positive and negative aspects of the workplace.
• Is there anything that you would have changed about your previous workplace?
• How did you feel working under your last manager, and is there anything you would have liked to have changed about the way they managed you?
• What was the best environment you worked in and why?
• If you had to build a team, what kinds of personalities and skills would you include and why?

Your recruiter should always provide a brief personality profile for you for any candidate they send across, but the above questions are valid for delving deeper during any interview.

For more information, and to chat about how we can help you grow and mould your team, please feel free to get in touch with Ingrid, Brad and Lizzie at info@barerc.com or ingrid@barerc.com .