Yep, I’ll say it.
At the risk of being blasted by many of my LinkedIn friends, I actually believe most companies make things way too complicated and take them to extreme measures when they don’t need to.
Most hiring managers think they’re great at interviewing and selecting talent, like they have the best process or the best questions. LOL. No, you don’t. You’re just making yourself feel good.
I mean, seriously. I’ve been interviewing, hiring, managing, and leading people for 30+ years at all levels. The best resume, the greatest interview, or a specific test score on some personality survey does not usually equal the best employee. In fact, as Jack Welch said, if you get 50% of your hires right, you’re doing well. Even Jack didn't take himself too seriously.
Some of the best employees I’ve ever had were terrible in interviews and not qualified on paper. The point is, you just never really know.
In my opinion, companies spend way too much time, money, and energy putting candidates through exhaustive interview processes that are unnecessary. Meanwhile, positions sit open for months because they’re waiting for the "purple squirrel" hire.
I’m willing to bet that way more money is lost on cumbersome, time-consuming interviewing processes and testing, combined with lost productivity because the position stayed empty for too long than on a bad hire.
In today’s world, especially with AI leveling the playing field when it comes to information and IQ, it’s all about soft skills, people skills, ambition, potential, culture fit, etc. If you get someone in front of you who you think fits the team culture and is an 80% match for the rest, pull the trigger and stop messing around.
Oh, and one more thing: stop hiring by committee. Not everyone on your team has to agree before bringing someone on. Heck, not everyone on your team likes each other anyway. 😍
Okay, I’m done venting for the day. 😀 Go ahead blast away...