3 Hiring Red Flags to Avoid

The #1 thing entrepreneurs want to know about hiring is how to do it right.

How to put yourself out into the world and meet the people who genuinely believe in what you do.

How to not waste time on hiring and firing.

These are valid things to want to know, especially in today’s competitive business environment. A company’s success largely depends on the team that supports it.

While there are things you can do to prep to hire, today, we’re sharing three red flags to avoid.

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Red Flag #1 – Lacks Passion & Enthusiasm

Congratulations! If you’re thinking about hiring, that means your business is growing. Hiring is an exciting time; new people mean fresh ideas. When you start to build your team, you want to bring someone excited about joining the company.

But what happens when your candidate doesn’t seem passionate about the job. 🥴

Here’s how an uninterested candidate can hurt you in the long run.

• They may lack the enthusiasm to contribute to the company’s success.
• You or another team member may pick up the slack and stretch yourselves too thin.
• Your business expenses are high because you’re not getting an ROI from this hire.

This doesn’t mean they have to be super bubbly and perky. However, you do want your potential team member to have some genuine interest in what they’re doing.

And this starts before the interview process. When you’re hiring, you want to attract candidates who are aligned with your company values and knowledgeable.

You can learn more about “The Secret to Hiring Your Dream Team” in our latest video.

Red Flag #2 – Their Experience Doesn’t Match the Role

An important alarm bell for CEOs is work experience. Sometimes candidates will submit these fantastic resumes, but you need more than just reading them to tell you if their track record will transfer into the role you’re looking to hire. Judging the candidate’s capability can be tricky, so how do you sift through to find who is best for you?

Hiring someone without communicating your expectations is neither fair for them nor your business. Skip over the surface-level questions and ask thought-provoking questions to understand the individual’s experience better.

Get to know them and their work experience. In this process, if you find that their answers aren’t matching up to what you need, don’t be afraid to keep searching.

For example: If you’re looking for someone to fill a hybrid position (like a tech VA), but the candidate has no tech background, it would be unfair to hire them and expect them to take on setting up Zapier automations day 1.

The last thing you want to do is settle for someone who may or may not be a good fit. So make sure you’re bringing people aligned with your needs.

Red Flag #3 – Can’t Make Small Commitments

One of the biggest fears when hiring is how you can know if this person is real. What’s keeping them from leaving you shortly after you hire?

While things can always happen, a red flag that can pop up before you hire is how they treat small commitments during the interview phase. If you find that the candidate is always:

• late to the interview

• turning in hiring assessments/materials late

• communication breakdowns

these could be small signs of what’s to come.

As the CEO, you have to consider the answers and actions made by potential hires to see if both parties are in alignment. 

* Notable Red Flag – Gossiping and Complaining

And lastly, a final bonus red flag! While we may all have had our fair share of horror stories at work, there is always a time and place to share them. Before hiring your candidate, take note of any complaints or gossiping that may arise during the interview. Most times, anyone who spends time complaining about their past employers, or talking negatively about former colleagues, may not be the best fit for you.

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Hiring new people for your team can feel daunting, but when you prepare, you can show up with a clear mind. 

Ask yourself:

“How can I communicate what it’s like to work with me/my company and its uniqueness” so that you attract engaged team members? 

“How can I create a company culture that reflects our values and standards” so candidates know their expectations for them and their role on the team?

“What things can I be willing to tolerate when expanding and growing the team” so you know how to lead your team better and guide them.

If hiring a team for your business is on your goal list for 2023, we can

teach you how to create the operational structure, to help you build a team that supports you with confidence in your ability to be a leader.

 Learn more about our coaching program Grindaholics Anonymous here.