3 Signs You’re About to Hire the Wrong Person

Recruitment in the veterinary profession is tough right now. So much so, that I’ve heard practices joke that their ideal candidate is “a vet with a pulse”.

Eek!

One of the most expensive mistakes you can make in your veterinary practice is hiring the wrong person. Costs can exceed 3 times that person’s salary in tangible and intangible costs.

But even when you’ve taken someone through what you believe to be a solid recruitment process, how can you ever be sure they are the right person?

I’ve heard many practice owners say, “You don’t truly know someone until you’ve worked with them a while”. True, but there are always tell tale signs before you make that hiring decision that the person is not right for you.

Here are 3 signs you’re about to hire the wrong person:

1. They’ve approached the interview process with a “what’s in it for me” mindset.

People look for new jobs for a variety of reasons, one of them being progression, whether that’s clinical progression or salary progression. Of course, people want to know how a job and practice is going to add value to their career, and life, but it’s how they go about finding out that information that is quite revealing. Does it feel quite transactional? A bit ‘takey’? Have they highlighted their worth to you in terms of how they can add value to the practice, or does it feel quite one sided?

I have a quote that I live by that says, “How someone does anything is how they do everything”.

How someone behaves in an interview process is more often than not how you will experience them as an employee.

“The best interview process is one that is made up of a series of meaningful interactions, where both people bring their value to the table.” – Rachael Paul, Simply Veterinary Coaching

2. You’ve rushed the process.

When there’s a candidate shortage it’s tempting to skip a few steps to get that person over the line so you don’t lose that person to a competitor who has moved quicker.

But if you’re in a hurry, you may hire “good enough” (see point 3). Or you may overlook someone’s flaws, and that is a decision that will come back to haunt you later.

Timing a recruitment process so that it’s long enough for you to get a real feel for the person, but not too long that you lose momentum, is a tricky dance. Look at it this way, a multiple step interview process is a commitment test for the candidate. But make sure you’re not stringing along someone you never intended to hire. Spend time with the right people, and eliminate the wrong people sooner.

3. They are just “okay”.

You’ve interviewed someone a couple of times and you don’t feel blown away, but you don’t feel like you want to reject them either. They’ll fit in nicely, but that’s it.

It would be so easy to justify your decision to hire an “okay” person when the market is as tough as it is, but don’t compromise on the ‘spirit’ you want to see.

What are the intangible qualities you must see in someone e.g., pride in their work, a love of the profession, gets a buzz out of client interaction, coachable, teachable, service minded, embraces change, enjoys learning etc. 

“Hire for spirit, not skill.” – Rachael Paul, Simply Veterinary Coaching

If you have gaps in your workforce, an unsustainable locum spend, you’re struggling to recruit, and have a team whose morale is suffering as a result, come and talk to me about how to feel in control of your recruitment and create a well-staffed practice, with a solid recruitment strategy that works, every time.