Hiring mistakes come at a high price. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that a poor hire can cost a company the equivalent of 30% of that individual’s first year of earnings, including onboarding and training. To help you avoid that costly mistake, we have tapped the expertise of Daniel Abramson, CTS, founder and president of StaffDynamics, for a three-part series on key HR issues.

Abramson is the author of two books and has remained a sought-after sales trainer and business coach for three decades. He has focused on workforce performance in numerous industries, including optical, where he previously participated in industry events. 

This month, Abramson details common hiring blunders and how to avoid them so you don’t waste any of your limited training budget on someone who may not work out. In April and May, he will focus on how to assess and improve the level of employee engagement. All three elements are key to making sure training sticks. 

EB: How important is it to assess soft skills when gauging both trainability and fit with your business culture?

DANIEL ABRAMSON: Develop a list of open-ended questions to probe soft skills. Factor those skills and candidates’ personalities into your hiring decisions with a system like the DISC Personality assessment tool (thediscpersonalitytest.com). When you are eager to fill skill gaps, it’s too easy to hire people who may have those skills but don’t otherwise align with your company values. Remember, it’s all about chemistry, fit, culture, and personality, and these aspects are also all key to how well that person can be trained.

EB: How much of the talking should an interviewer be doing?

DA: A successful interview is one in which each party gets to talk about his/her strengths. An effective one is when you speak no more than 35% of the time, while the candidate speaks no less than 65% of the time.

EB: Companies often see unexpected departures in slots that need to be filled quickly. Are there shortcuts to the process that won’t impact making the best selection?

DA: Create and employ a formal set of procedures, questions, steps, and scorecard for your hiring process. If you’re faced with a hiring deadline, compress the time you spend without skipping any of the steps. In other words, hold fast to your non-negotiables and make sure you are proactive in heading off any perceived potential issues.

Most importantly, take all the steps to make sure every candidate you’re seriously considering is qualified, vetted, and truly capable of delivering great work. And don’t ever hire someone simply to save money. That’s a surefire recipe for disaster…and one that no amount of training will fix.

EB: How do you prep for an interview, especially when you have to speak with several candidates in short time slots?

DA: Skimming the resume on the way to the interview is definitely not enough. Instead, plan to invest 15 minutes beforehand and build a list of five specific questions for each candidate that will also help craft specific training for that individual.

EB: You never know when your needs will change. What can you do to keep on top of things?

DA: Always keep your pipeline full. Never stop looking for talent to train. As in sports, it’s about building your bench strength.

“Develop a list of open-ended questions to probe soft skills.” —Daniel Abramson