Avoid ‘Bad Eggs’ by Screening Your Applicants

It is difficult and heartbreaking to inform an employee that they can no longer come to work, but many companies deal with this situation often. While it is not always the company’s fault, hiring the wrong candidate for the job often leads to this conundrum. You cannot perfect the hiring process, especially not overnight, but these suggestions may help your company avoid hiring ‘bad eggs’ as much as possible:

Do a thorough background check.

The applicant ticks all the right boxes, but is there something you should know that the applicant might be hiding from you? Don’t wait until the applicant has signed a contract or has been regularised before you do a background check. Call previous employers and ask about them, especially if they were let go. Find out why. You might even consider doing an NSW police check online to be sure that your applicant is not in some legal trouble or involved in some criminal activity in the past.

Don’t schedule everyone for an interview.

Not all who submit an application or express a desire to join your company are qualified. Your HR should be able to screen for the minimum requirements for the job. Eliminate those that do not meet the minimum requirements at the first step to save time and reduce ‘surprises’.

Send the applicants a job description.

When you schedule someone for an interview, send them the job description (do not include sensitive information, though). Tell them to read the job description first, then decide on whether they would like to pursue the application.

Avoid boxed questionnaires.

Avoid using a set of generic questions, especially if you are interviewing candidates for a managerial or a similarly important position. Don’t waste time. Make only a few of the questions specific to the job, then ask questions to determine the applicant’s personality. What you are looking is not only their capabilities, but to see if they’re culture fit. These steps may not totally eliminate the possibility of hiring a ‘dud’, but at least they can give you a better chance of finding an asset. It’s better to be thorough now than to be scrambling for a legal way to get rid of an employee you do not want or need.