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The real reason new hires don’t work out – and how to fix it
Targeted screening and interview tactics can filter out poor-quality candidates
“We hired him on the spot. He had everything we were looking for! But after three weeks, he started showing up late and blowing up at his coworkers. What happened?”
Most HR professionals and hiring managers have experienced this frustrating situation: the hourly hire who seemed perfect on paper but just didn’t work out. The temptation is to ignore it – after all, you can’t pick winners every time, right? Or can you?
Technical smarts vs. emotional skills
In a three-year study of more than 5,000 hiring managers, Leadership IQ found that 46 percent of newly hired employees will fail within 18 months. Failure meant they were fired, resigned, left under pressure, received disciplinary action or received significantly negative performance reviews.
That’s a lot of bad hires. More importantly, the study found that the main reason these hires failed wasn’t their lack of job skills – overwhelmingly, poor interpersonal skills were to blame.
The study found that 26 percent of new hires fail because they can’t accept feedback; 23 percent because they have difficulty managing emotions; 17 percent because they lack the motivation to excel; and 15 percent because they have the wrong temperament for the job. Only 11 percent fail because they lack the necessary technical skills.
Then again, what’s true for a majority of businesses may not be the case at your company. Do you know the most common reasons for turnover, voluntary or involuntary, among your hourly employees? If not, begin tracking this information through exit interviews, performance reviews or manager feedback.
Screening for success
In the study, 82 percent of hiring managers surveyed admitted that in retrospect, they should have paid more attention to clues during the interview that suggested the job candidate might not be a good fit. However, you can’t make hiring decisions based on instinct alone. That’s why strategic screening questions are essential for identifying qualified hourly candidates.
Pre-screening questions cover the basics, like:
• Availability/flexibility
• Experience
• Attitude
On SnagAJob.com, you can instantly filter applicants based on their responses, so your hiring managers only see applications that match their needs in these areas. Then, in targeted interview questions or in further screening, you can directly address the areas that matter most for the position: coachability, motivation, judgment, etc.
If you’re not satisfied with the number or quality of applicants who make it to this second stage, adjust the pre-screening questions accordingly. Then watch your turnover drop as your percentage of successful hires grows!