Considering the costs of the hiring process, a final choice between candidates is one decision you need to get absolutely correct. Wasted resources spent parsing resumes and interviewing potential employees are forever lost if a new hire leaves your company after only a short time – no matter the reason. Your company’s operational efficiency and overall productivity suffers as a result.
With the hopes of making a successful hiring decision in mind, here are a few warning signs of a bad technical hire. Make sure your interviewing team keeps them in mind whenever meeting candidates in person.
Focusing Too Much on Industry-Specific Experience
Don’t let the interviewing team focus too much on a candidate’s experience in the same industry as your organization. While it’s an attribute that helps somewhat when it comes to understanding your underlying business, their technical abilities and tangible professional experience are more relevant. Be sure to leverage a candidate rating system that weighs technology skills higher than business domain familiarity.
Watch Out for Non-Technical Experience
In a similar manner, be on the lookout for candidates with loads of experience, but only a relatively small amount as a technical professional. Take extra care to check the references who are familiar with the candidate in a technology role. This doesn’t necessarily mean the person isn’t able to do the work; you just need to perform more due diligence on their skill set.
Look for the Right Cultural Fit
Finding a candidate who makes the right cultural fit helps prevent the scourge of poor hires. Be sure to stress company culture on your website and when advertising open positions. Make sure your interviewing team asks cultural questions of every candidate – this also needs to be part of your candidate rating system.
Don’t Be Blinded by Experience at a Top Technology Company
If a candidate boasts experience at a top technology organization, don’t be blinded by this fact. This experience isn’t necessarily more valuable than another candidate’s at a smaller organization. In short, don’t judge experience by only the size of the company; dive into the details of their work. Look for the tangible differences they made for previous employers.
When you need additional insights on building the best technology team at your company, talk to the experts at Venteon. As one of the top technical staffing agencies in the Michigan area, we also provide a robust supply of talented candidates able to contribute to your success. Schedule some time with us as soon as possible!
