How *Not* to Hire The Wrong Person

Football season is here.

I don’t claim to be the world’s biggest fan, but since I do spend roughly half my time in Boston, it’s hard to avoid the topic of the New England Patriots (even though I’m an Eagles fan ??).

Unfortunately for my friends up north, this year has not gone so well.

Much of the blame is being heaped on quarterback Mac Jones, who is likewise having a miserable season.

Jones’s poor performance since becoming a Patriot three years ago is surprising. How could someone who performed so well in college turn out to be so disappointing as a pro? Why did his impressive stats not transfer to his new role? What are the factors that caused the tremendous gap in expectation versus reality?

I don’t know enough about football to venture an answer. But as someone who has been recruiting biotech professionals for a long time, I’m not shocked. I have seen many who “look great on paper” fail to shine when transitioning from one organization to another.

You Hire for “Hard” and Fire for “Soft”

Over the years, I have had many conversations with leaders who, after just a few short months in a new job, are extremely unhappy. I have had the same kind of discussions with those on the hiring side who find that the person they brought in wasn’t who they thought they were.

The problem, I believe, is that when hiring — especially in the case of R&D talent — there is too much attention paid to a candidate’s technical background and expertise (hard skills) and not enough paid to who they are as a person and leader, and how they will fit within an organization (soft skills).

The truth is, far fewer people are fired because they don’t have the necessary skill set. It almost always comes down to a lack of fit between the person and the culture and style of their company or boss.

With that in mind, here are five suggestions for avoiding this common trap when hiring…

#1. Look for yellow flags.

When we are brought in on the heels of a bad hire, one question I always ask our new client is, “What did you miss?” Almost without exception, people can point to things they saw but ignored — clues that suggested some type of individual misalignment.

Hiring is a very nuanced process with a great deal of emotion at play. It’s vital that both company and candidate test deeply for a fit. The desire on both sides to complete the process can be powerful, further clouding objective judgment.

So, if you find that you are really liking a candidate, force yourself to find 5–10 things not to like about them. Do it in the other direction if you initially lean the opposite way.

Overall, we need to work hard to remain disciplined and clear-eyed.

#2. Uncover their story.

Credentials, capabilities, and past accomplishments matter, of course. But as important are the people behind the dry facts. Uncovering this requires deep and deliberate listening about who they are, what really matters to them, what has worked (or not worked) in the past, and what they are working towards.

Rather than operating solely from a list of preconceived questions, have an authentic discussion to learn their “story” and as much as you can about them as individuals. There is much to be gained by understanding how their early years shaped them. How did they get on the path they are on? Why did they make the moves they have made?

Listen hard for major themes, inconsistencies, and excuses. Try to imagine how well they will mesh with the way you and your organization operate.

#3. Pay attention to details.

Every piece of data reveals a little more about who the candidate is.

How quickly do they get back to you? How many questions do they ask? Do they talk only about projects and numbers or do they also speak about the people and teams they have worked with and hope to work with? By noticing what they focus on you can also see what they do not focus on. These are key clues to what a person cares about the most.

In general, the more senior the hire, the more important it is to see them in different settings and situations. So make sure you don’t conduct all the interviews in your office. Get out and about with them — go for a walk, take them to lunch, introduce them to others they will be working with. See what you can learn.

#4. Reveal the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Don’t sugarcoat your organization’s reality. Even if you really, really want them on your team, you gain nothing by hiding what they will see and learn once on board.

When you talk about your organization’s strengths, make sure to also reveal its weaknesses. For example, if you are “highly collaborative,” what impact does that have on your ability to make hard decisions quickly? What are the tradeoffs they will encounter? What does it feel like to be part of your company? Are you hiring them to shift the culture or blend into it? What will they learn after three months in the role that is not obvious during the interview process?

Don’t worry. The “right” person will see your imperfections as challenges to be tackled. For those who don’t, you are both better off when they walk away.

#5. Clarify the words.

Early in my recruiting career, a candidate described himself as “hardworking.” When I asked him to elaborate, he said that if needed, he would sometimes stay as late as 5:30. To me, “hardworking” meant something closer to 24/7.

Words like “flexible,” “micromanage,” or “hardworking” (to name just a few) may seem to have unambiguous meaning. But it’s often the case that different individuals perceive them very differently.

You will sidestep a great deal of frustration for all concerned by going beyond the simple descriptions that candidates tend to give and digging into what sits behind the words. Ask for examples, clarification, and expectations. Have them rank themselves on a scale of 1–10 across various attributes; then ask why they answered the way they did.

Keep probing until you are certain you are both on the same page.

Read Between the Lines

The path to hiring the right person for a job is rarely, if ever, straight or obvious. You have to force yourself to be disciplined — to pay attention to every clue you discover, to uncover who people really are, and to think carefully about the fit.

Technical attributes are important. But make sure you spend the same amount of time, thought, and energy understanding the human behind them. The thrill of hiring someone for a critical role can fade very fast if you are not supremely careful.

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