Avoiding A Bad Hire
Bernadette Hill
January 8, 2025
It’s happened to every company at some point: You hire a person you think is going to be a rock star and help drive your business forward, but what you get instead is a poison pill who is threatening to self-destruct and wipe out your forward progress.
Now, depending on when you realized that this was an experiment in futility, this can be a huge financial blunder. How much? Well, CareerBuilder says that two-thirds of companies have hired the wrong person and 41% of those companies claim that it ended up costing them more than $25,000. Worse yet, one in four of those said it cost more than $50,000. These are make or break numbers, folks.
The kicker? It almost always could have been avoided. Sure, it’ll take a little more effort up front, but who doesn’t want to do that as opposed to losing $50k on a bad bet? With a little bit of planning you can make sure that you avoid a cultural and financial disaster.
Here’s how:
- Profile your most successful employees. Find out what makes them tick. Then, after you’ve collected that info, ask them for input. These are the people that will be working with new hires daily; you’ll be amazed at what they offer.
- Write a job description. This is not optional. If you’re just going to “wing it” then how in the world would an employee even know what to do? If you can’t write one yourself, hire someone to do it.
- Interview, and do it right. Be prepared, have questions prepped based on their resume and cover letter. Take notes based on what your employees told you. Oh, and be ready to spend 75% of the time listening, not talking. It’s all about listening.
- Don’t fall in love. I don’t care if this is “the one”, you’ve got to meet several candidates for the gig. This is a weird form of corporate speed dating and it’s tough to master, but if you settle for the first resume across your desk, well, just remember what a $50k mistake feels like.
- References are your friend. If the candidate isn’t willing to cough them up, be wary. These are the people you need to talk to in order to see how your potential employee handles pressure, workload and other people.
- Bring in your current rock stars. Encourage key team members to participate andif they need to be trained on fundamental interview best practices, then offer it. Think of it as an investment.
- The first place to look for new employees is from candidate referrals from your existing staff and established advisors and peers. It helps take the guesswork out of the process.
Now, without using names, I’d like to hear about some of your bad hire experiences and how you handled it. And, if you’re wondering, “Dealing with a Bad Hire” will be featured soon!
Share This Post!
Talent Tap Trends & Insights | Lancaster, PA
Let’s face it—hiring top talent these days is like finding a parking spot at a concert. It’s stressful, time-consuming, and just when you think you’ve found "The One", someone else swoops in and takes them. That’s why more companies—scrappy startups to corporate giants—are handing off recruiting to the pros. Here's why outsourcing your recruiting might be your next power move: 1. They Know What They’re Doing (Like, Really Know) Recruiters are the matchmakers of the working world. They eat, sleep, and breathe screening calls, resume red flags, and the fine art of the follow-up. So let them do what they do best, while you focus on growing your business. 2. Save Time. Save Money. Save Your Sanity. Between chasing references and ghosted interviews, hiring feels like a second full-time job. Outsourcing clears your plate—speeding up time-to-hire, slashing hiring costs, and preserving your team’s focus (and patience). 3. Flex Like a Hiring Ninja Need to fill one role this week and 20 next month? No problem. Outsourcing lets you scale your recruiting efforts up or down faster than you can say “urgent headcount request.” 4. Access to a Bigger (and Better) Candidate Pool Recruitment agencies have a secret weapon: massive networks. They know people. Good people. People who aren’t even looking... until the right opportunity comes along. You probably won’t find those folks by just tossing a job on LinkedIn and hoping for the best. 5. A+ Candidate Experience First impressions matter. A great recruiter knows how to keep candidates informed, engaged, and not completely ghosted halfway through the process. Even if someone doesn’t land the role, they’ll walk away thinking your company is classy—and that goodwill can go a long way. Final Thoughts: Outsourcing your recruiting isn’t admitting defeat—it’s playing smart. It's about hiring better, faster, and with fewer headaches. In today’s ever-changing job market, that kind of edge can be a game-changer. Plus, it means fewer awkward interviews with people who still list “Microsoft Word” under special skills.
There’s never a dull day in recruiting, especially when you’ve been doing it a while. I’m constantly chatting with people who are gainfully employed but thinking about switching things up — for all sorts of reasons. 2025 is already feeling like a wild ride for a lot of workers. Gen Z hasn’t really experienced a recession in their careers yet, while Millennials and Gen X are kind of exhausted, thinking, “Not this again,” after living through a few tough economic stretches already. According to the American Psychological Association’s 2025 Work in America survey, more than half of U.S. workers are seriously stressed about job security. Out of 2,017 employed adults who responded online, 54% said worrying about their workplace stability is really taking a toll on their professional and personal lives. As a business owner, it’s more important than ever to hold onto your top talent during these uncertain economic times. Losing a star employee isn’t just expensive when it comes to hiring and training someone new — it can also seriously shake up your team’s morale, their quality of work and the overall vibe of your company. Here are three defensive moves to prevent that dreaded resignation letter: 1. Don’t sugarcoat business challenges during company meetings. Being upfront builds trust. Share the big picture — where the company stands financially, including monthly, quarterly, and yearly projections, plus year-to-date results. Let your team know what steps are being taken to turn things around and bring your key people into the conversation to help brainstorm new strategies. If you’ve only been meeting quarterly, now’s the time to bump that up to monthly — keep everyone in the loop, track progress, and celebrate the wins, big or small. 2. Leadership means making sacrifices first. Executives and owners should hold off on bonuses and raises before making tough calls like cutting benefits, freezing pay, or laying people off. It goes without saying that this is not the time to roll up to the office in a new Mercedes S-Class. 3. Double-down on professional development. Staff — especially Millennials — really value opportunities like lunch-and-learns, industry events, and workshops to keep growing. Most leaders see training as an easy place to cut when budgets get tight, but that would be a bad move. Employees want to feel valued and involved. Investing in professional development, however modest, pays big dividends. Getting through tough times as a team is like strengthening iron in a fire — it’s tough, but it makes you stronger. These challenges can actually help build a more resilient, united company in the long run. While you're dealing with today’s obstacles, don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.