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"How to Hire an Employee: Ways to Avoid Hiring Problems – Remote Workmate "

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Remote Workmate
"How to Hire an Employee: Ways to Avoid Hiring Problems – Remote Workmate "

A bad hire can cost your company anywhere from 30% to 150% of their annual pay – and that’s just their salary. Hiring the wrong person is even more costly when you consider its negative effects on team productivity and client confidence in your organisation.

The good news is that conducting a well-thought-out interview can be the difference between a great hire and a big headache. To add to your knowledge on how to hire an employee, here are some common mistakes that you’ll want to avoid while doing an interview.

Overlooking important traits

Avoid spending too much time probing specific skills required for a position while overlooking traits like critical thinking or initiative, which may be harder to develop or come by naturally.

Asking hypothetical questions

Avoid asking “How would you handle a problem client?”, and instead ask “Tell me about a time you handled a problem client.”

Candidates can and will tell you what you want to hear if you ask a hypothetical question. If you fall for such answers, you will encounter hiring problems.

Remember: A real-world experience is always better.

Not probing past work history

Not digging deeper into a candidate’s work history is a common mistake. Instead, zero in on a prior job that’s closely related to your open role, and spend time learning more about that experience.

Those details will give you a better idea of how qualified the candidate is for the position.

Talking too much about the company

Don’t spend too much time talking about your organisation. The interview’s purpose is to learn about the candidate, their experience, and how they’ll fit into your role in the company.

To hire an employee correctly, apply the 80/20 rule where you listen 80% of the time, and speak only 20% of the time.

Not doing live tests

Portfolios and work samples can be faked. Instead, perform a live test to see how good your applicants really are.

For instance, if you’re interviewing writers, ask candidates to write an article for your website. If it’s for a programming role, do a live coding test on platforms like HackerRank or CodeSignal.

Intimidating the candidate

There is enough pressure on an applicant during an interview without deliberately adding more. Now isn’t the time to see how they respond to high-pressure intimidating tactics during the interview.

Presenting a one-sided view

Be honest about the pros and cons of the job (as well as your company’s) during interviews. This will help weed out the wrong people and build trust with high-potential candidates.

Being inconsiderate or unprofessional

If you’re late or have to cancel an interview, apologise. Pay attention and don’t read emails or accept phone calls during the interview – that’s rude.

Prioritizing personality over skills and experience

Our natural tendency is to hire people we like, which is based on our feeling of connection with them. Don’t fall for the “just like me” trap.

Giving average attention to above average candidates

If you’re interested in a candidate, let them know during the interview by providing positive feedback. Ideally, you should follow up the interview with a thank you email within 48 hours.

Avoid headaches by partnering with us

simple But Effective Strategies For Finding Remote Work

If you want to hire an employee without the added challenge of making a compelling job descriptionsourcing candidates, and narrowing down your applicant pool, we can help.

Unlike freelancing marketplaces where you do everything yourself, Remote Workmate handles all the heavy lifting for you, including key processes like screening, recruitment and payroll.

You can actually choose from our pool of top candidates right away. Just click the button below to browse a wide range of profiles on our Hotlist page.

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