The recruitment process can be a long and arduous task for any employer, but it’s extremely important and should not be taken lightly.
It’s your responsibility to ensure that the process is carried out thoroughly and carefully as hiring the wrong candidate can waste a lot of time and money as well as cause possible damage to your business and reputation.
There are a lot of signs to look out for when looking over CV’s and holding interviews and conducting trials, so be wary of anything that causes concern or raises doubts as this could be a warning that it isn’t the ideal person for the job.
- They turn up late for the interview or induction
First impressions should always count for something, and a late candidate is an unreliable and unprepared one.
It showcases poor time management skills, and if you can’t put in the effort to make it to a job interview on time – how are they going to cope with a five-day working week?
Unless they call ahead of time with a justifiable reason for being late, this should be the first red flag for recruiting them.
- Their CV has poor grammar
If there is one thing every applicant should do, it is proof-read their CV before sending it off, otherwise it comes across as lazy and incompetent and doesn’t reflect well on their written communication skills.
You should never overlook bad grammar, even on the most glowing CV so bear it in mind even if you decide to call them in for an interview.
- Their interview attire is inappropriate
Though the sayings go ‘looks can be deceiving’ and ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ these do not apply when we are talking about a job interview.
The outward appearance and attire of candidates should be taken into consideration during the interview process particularly if it is noticeably poor. Dirty trainers, ripped jeans, hats or any kind of informal, overly casual outerwear indicates a lack of respect and professionalism.
Even if you have said that it’s a casual work environment and there is no need for a suit and tie, they should still display that effort has been made by appearing tidy and well put together.
- They provide a vague employment history
Although employment history should be covered in the CV, particularly the last five years of employment, you can dig a little deeper during the interview.
Asking candidates why they left their previous job, identifying any gaps in employment and highlighting any job-hopping is a great way of finding out how reliable and committed these potential employees are.
Vague or completely irrelevant responses should cause concern and raise even more questions about whether this is the person for the job.
- They gossip about former employers or work colleagues
We’ve all had bad employment experiences and are sure to encounter difficult bosses and mean colleagues. But this should never be brought up during an interview for a new job.
If a candidate feels that it is appropriate to speak negatively about former workplaces this reflects more on them and their attitude, then it does the people they are gossiping about.
- They still use their childhood email address
Another subtle sign of professionalism is the email address they provide on their CV.
It may not seem like such a big deal but an immature email address they made in Year 7 like ‘Miss_Princess01@hotmail.com’ is not appropriate for work applications.
It only takes five minutes to create a new email account that presents a professional and employable candidate, so not bothering to make one seems a little lazy.
- They are not willing to admit their flaws
No one is perfect and even in an interview set up, candidates shouldn’t claim to be.
It’s great to show confidence and talk up your skills and experience but all employers want to know where your weaknesses and flaws lie too.
If you ask a candidate what their biggest weakness is, or what areas they could improve on, and they cannot provide an answer or skirt around the question this just shows to you that they cannot recognise room for improvement.
If they can’t take on board their flaws, then how are they going to get any better.
- They have a long commute
Although you shouldn’t hold location against a brilliant candidate, you should take it into serious consideration.
If a candidate lives significantly far from the premises and will have to commute for an hour or more every morning into work you need to think about traffic, unreliable public transport and all the things that may cause them to be late or feel very tired or frustrated when they get to work.
This is something you could discuss with the candidate during the interview process as they may be used to long commutes and don’t have a problem with at all, or they may even be in the process of moving somewhere else.
- They are overqualified
It may sound strange to say that a candidate with all the necessary qualifications and more should be looked at with a cause for concern but it can be a setback.
If a potential employee has previous experience in a managerial role and they are interviewing for a PA or admin position, then you should think about the likelihood of this candidate getting bored with their role or looking at better opportunities elsewhere.
An overqualified candidate may not feel fulfilled in a role of lower position or if they are not being pushed to their full potential – but this could be worked around with opportunities of progression within the role, and should be addressed during the interview.
- They didn’t research the company
The biggest red flag when recruiting comes in the form of lack of preparation.
When interviewing, there is one question you should never fail to ask, and that is ‘what do you know about the business’ or something to that effect.
If the interviewee shows little to no knowledge of the company, then they are already showing you that they can’t be bothered to do a little preparation for the job. This immediately tells you that they don’t take initiative or just have no enthusiasm for the job.
For more advice and support with your recruitment process, please give us a call on 0845 2626 260 and we can get you booked in for a free consultation.
