Six Pitfalls that are Critically Important to Avoid When Hiring

In the process of finding a Great Hire, it is actually possible to do all the Advanced Preparation, Design an Ad that is exactly on point, Conduct the Interviews in a wise and excellent way, and still end up FALLING INTO A TRAP! Then instead of having the ideal person for your new staff, you have a disastrous hire! How is this possible?!

From the viewpoint of having gone through the Hiring Process for over 30 years, I’d like to share some potential pitfalls that are worth taking note of and avoiding at all costs:

• Hiring someone because they are very similar to either yourself or someone near and dear to you. It will be tempting… they are simply such a natural choice and you feel very comfortable with them. Don’t DO IT!! Use this Best Hiring Process to put the truly Ideal Person in the Ideal Place
• Putting 2 High D’s in the office, especially in roles that require close collaboration. A High D is fabulous for getting things done, but they often also have the need and the drive to be in charge. We found that putting 2 High D’s together results in a lot of knocking heads as they each seek to be in charge, whether or not their job description gives them that authority.
• Hiring without calling references – it can seem like this is a waste of time; but a simple chat, ending with “would you hire them again?” can give you valuable insight.
• Hiring without the rest of the staff having input – we always tried to give the rest of our staff the opportunity to go out to lunch with each of our final top choices for a casual “let’s-get-to-know-each-other” time together, without the doctor. After all, we are adding another “cog to the machine” and it is important for the other cogs to feel comfortable with the new person.
• Hiring someone you simply really want to work for you– in spite of the fact that they don’t fit the role you need them for… but you are determined to make it work. The end result is a frustrated employee and the original need you had in the office goes unmet.
• Hiring someone without your spouse or a trusted fellow employee giving you the straight scoop – this can lead to serious results. True Story: a dentist friend of ours needed a new Front Desk person. After a day of interviews, he told his wife about who he had hired, ending with these words – “but you won’t like her; she is quite a flirt!” It didn’t take long before he was divorcing his wife, deserting his family and marrying his new hire. Please take this trap seriously. This is one reason I was always involved in the hiring process from beginning to end.

The amazing thing about all these pitfalls is that they are not that hard to prevent. But it does take paying attention to them, seeing if they are in your path, and then giving the effort to avoid them. I hope you will utilize all the steps of this Best Hiring Process to truly put the Ideal Person in the Ideal Place.

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QUESTION: Have you fallen into the trap of making any of these hiring mistakes? I’d love to hear your thoughts and observations. Please share in the comment section below.