Jun 14, 2024

3 Critical Hiring Mistakes Small Business Owners Should Avoid in 2024

I’ve been hiring for a really long time. You would think I’d be perfect at it by now.

I hired people when I worked in corporate, and I’ve been hiring people for the last 12 years as a business owner across multiple companies. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years. 

Yet, I’m here to confess—I still make hiring mistakes.

Now, don’t let this discourage you. Please don’t think, If Kelly can’t get this right, then what hope do I have? We’re not talking about perfection here. Perfection isn’t even the goal. The important thing—both in business and in life—is that you learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them. 

Will I make other mistakes down the road? I’m sure I will. And I’ll learn from those as well. I’m going to share some hiring mistakes that I’ve made within the last five years—that I no longer make—so I can save you some trouble as you’re hiring for your small business.

I’m going to swallow my pride and share the three worst mistakes, because I think they’ll help you the most. You’re welcome. Let’s dive in!

Hiring mistake #1: ignoring “micro-expressions”

I’ll explain “micro-expressions” in a second, but ultimately? I saw some warning signs and ignored my gut.

Micro-expressions are tiny things that people do that are incongruent with what they say. For example, maybe you see a smirk on their face during a serious conversation. Or a flash of contempt when you’re nodding and smiling. Maybe you glimpse an almost-imperceptible eyeroll.

It grabs your attention, but it happens so fast, you wonder if you just imagined it. And it’s not like you’d feel comfortable asking, “Wait, was that a little smirk I just saw flash across your face?”

In the past, I’ve noticed these things and brushed them off and ignored them. Why? Because everything else with this person checked out. I’ve interviewed people who I knew would be amazing at getting the job done. Literally, nothing seemed off in the interview. They checked every box.

But my gut told me something was off because of the slightest incongruence. And I was afraid to tell anyone, because I thought they’d laugh at me and say I must have imagined it. So I hired them anyway. Unfortunately, every time I’ve ignored something like that, it has come back to bite me in the butt.

One time, I actually did follow my gut, and I’m so glad. Here’s what went down: I was interviewing a candidate and things were going really well. Everything looked good. Then I asked a simple question that related to the role directly. It was a telling question. The answer would directly impact this person’s ability to do well in the role.

He answered ideally. So, everything was great, right? Not quite.

While he was saying all the right things, I caught a flash of rage/anger in his eyes. I know it sounds crazy, but he was smiling and nodding, and as clear as day, I saw a “look.” This time, I didn’t explain it away. We didn’t hire him.

When my team told him that we had decided to go with a different candidate, this person lost it. Like completely lost it. He unleashed an incredible amount of rage on my team for sending a simple “thanks but we went a different direction” response to his application.

This time, I had listened to my gut, and it turned out to be right! So now I listen to it 100% of the time.

Hiring mistake #2: Not doing an in-depth reference check

Reference checks get a bad rap these days, but when you know how to do them right, you can find out everything you need to know.

All too often, people have things to hide. So they only give you the names of people they know will say the right things. But I like to check with their last two employers, not just their buddies. While I know a former boss probably won’t say something terribly bad, they can give you insight into how the person fit in with the culture, hit specific goals/metrics, and contributed to the company’s goals.

Recently my company president and I both missed this with a new hire, and it turned out to be a disaster. I want to save you from making the same mistake when you’re hiring for your small business. 

I know it seems like a formality, but make sure you do thorough reference checks. Check with more than one person. And listen to the things they say—and the things they don’t say.

Remember—people paint the best possible picture of themselves in an interview. Dig a little deeper, and it will save you a world of hurt.

Hiring mistake #3: letting the sizzle of talent outweigh everything else

By “everything else,” I’m specifically thinking of critical traits like: 

  • the humility of being coachable and 
  • willingness to integrate into the culture 

I cannot stress enough how important these two things are. I don’t care how talented someone is; if they aren’t coachable and a good culture fit, I don’t hire them.

Sometimes someone comes along with the perfect skill set and you just know they will crush it in terms of getting results. However, they struggle almost immediately because they can’t adjust to the culture of your company. On top of that, they aren’t coachable and they think their way is always better than the years of lessons you’ve learned while running your business.

Of course we want to bring in exceptionally talented people who are amazing at what they do. But, if they’re not coachable, humble, and willing to learn, they likely aren’t going to make it. 

I’ve learned this the hard way. I’ve hired someone based on their flashy skill set, and they turned out to be entirely different from what I expected. They weren’t coachable, and they definitely didn’t want to adapt to our culture. They brought morale down instead of up. 

At the end of the day, the damage someone can do when they are a wrong fit for your company is far worse than the struggle to find someone who is a great fit. So do yourself a favor, and don’t hire someone who doesn’t fit.

Bottom line? Hiring mistakes are easy to make, but you can avoid them if you’re careful. Look for the signs, trust your gut, and don’t move forward unless you are 100% at peace about your decision.

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