Hiring the right people is critical for any business, especially for a small company with relatively few employees. Bringing in the wrong person not only not only wastes time and money, it also creates a ripple of negativity that impacts every other employee and therefore your business.

How do you wind up with the wrong candidate?

• You ignore the total package.

Every employee has to follow company rules and guidelines, whether formal or unwritten. Some people cannot or just will not. For some people the work and how they perform that work is what matters most–not the job. Do not assume you can change them. You will not.

If you desperately need specialist engineering skills you might decide to live with the proven engineering superstar’s diva behavior. Always assume that if compromises need to be made then you will need to be the one who makes them. If you are not willing to accommodate or compromise-pass.

• You hire for skills and ignore the attitude.

Skills and knowledge are worthless when they are not put to use. Experience, no matter how vast, is useless when it is not shared with others.

The smaller your business the more likely you are to be an expert in your field and transferring those skills to others is relatively easy. But you cannot train enthusiasm, a solid work ethic and great interpersonal skills. Those traits can matter a lot more than any skills a candidate brings.

The majority fail due to problems with motivation, willingness to be coached, temperament and emotional intelligence. The candidate who lacks interpersonal skills and enthusiasm is a large red flag.

• You sell your business too hard.

You need employees who want to work for you, but never try too hard to sell a candidate on your company. Good candidates will have done their homework. They know whether your company is a good fit for them. 

Selling too hard skews the employee/employer relationship from the start. An employee grateful for an opportunity approaches their first days at work much differently than an employee who feels they are doing you a favor by joining your team.

Describe the position, describe your company, answer questions, be factual and forthright, let your natural enthusiasm show through. Let the candidate make an informed decision.

• Hiring friends and family.

Tread carefully here. Some employees will overstate a family member’s qualifications when they make a recommendation. The employee’s heart may be in the right place, but their desire to help out a family member does not always align with your need to hire great employees. 

Friends and family see each other outside of work. This increases the chances of interpersonal conflicts. In extreme cases, especially in small companies, your company could turn into an episode of Survivor.

• Ignoring gut feelings.

Always weigh impressions against qualitative considerations. Take candidates on a tour of your manufacturing or similar key areas. Is your second interview similar to the first one? Take the candidate for lunch or dinner. 

You should know the intangible qualities you want in your employees. Determine a few simple ways to see if a candidate has or lacks those qualities.

• Taking the wrong chance.

There are two kinds of chances you can take on a potential employee.

Good chances. Taking a chance on a candidate you feel has more potential than their previous employer let them show; taking a chance on a candidate who has few of the skills but all of the attitude; taking a chance on a candidate you feel certain brings the enthusiasm, drive, and spirit your team desperately needs–those are good chances to take.

Bad chances: The candidate with a history of attendance problems who you hope will suddenly develop a strong work ethic; the candidate who left each of his last three jobs within 12 months; the candidate who has limited experience in your industry and only wants to talk about how quickly and often they can get promoted.

No matter how hard they try, everyone makes hiring mistakes. Don’t take bad chances–those almost always turn out poorly. Take good chances, they often turn out to be your most inspired hires.