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While managers would like to believe that the interview is the best way to gauge a new hire for an open position, sometimes experience proves otherwise. But there are a number of reasons that a great interview can turn into a bad hire. This phenomenon is called “hiring blindness,” and every manager can fall victim to it. It may be a result of poor interviewing skills, inaccurate hiring criteria, a bad personality fit, or hiring decisions that are made too quickly. So how can you avoid hiring blindness and only hire the very best candidates? Here are some things to consider.

Learn Your Hiring Style

Some experts suggest that there are four general hiring categories that managers fall into. There are those who are quick and decisive when it comes to making decisions. There are the communicators who tend to dominate the conversation in an interview. There are those who want to emphasize teamwork above all else. And lastly, there are the managers who thrive on data. Each of these styles has strengths and weaknesses.

Evaluate Your Personal Blind Spot

One you determine which hiring style you fall into, it is time to determine what your biggest weakness is. What do you tend to overlook when you’re evaluating candidates? You probably have patterns and can look back at previous examples. You are likely to completely miss some important traits that other managers will easily recognize.

Utilize Others in Your Office to Help

Never interview alone. That isn’t to say you need to have large group interviews, but rather ask others in your office with different interview styles to also meet with the candidates. Once you’ve all spoken to the field of potential employees, you can compare notes and start to consider the things that each of you missed.

Work with a Staffing Partner

You can also add another layer of protection to the mix. Rather than hiring a brand new, untested employee directly, consider a temporary to hire agreement. You can work with a staffing agency to bring them on board in a probationary capacity so you can see each other’s work styles and determine if the relationship will be positive in the long term.

About Anserteam Workforce Solutions

The ANSER to your North American workforce management needs starts with A-Team solutions. Anserteam is the alliance of North American staffing and employment resources. Since 2004, Anserteam has grown to service over 750 locations across the United States and Canada. Are you a best-in-class staffing firm looking to increase your client base and secure a greater market share?  Find out how to become part of Anserteam.