The 3 Biggest Hiring Mistakes Leaders Make

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I recall interviewing someone for a position at Square years ago when I was an engineering manager there. This candidate had every soft skill needed to excel in the role, but they weren’t familiar with our tech stack.

Not knowing the technology used at a major tech company seems like a pretty good reason not to hire someone — but 80% of the technology we use now wasn’t even around then. In hindsight, the biggest mistake I could have made would have been not to hire them, and it was sheer luck that made me realize it at the time.

Below, I’ll explain a few other major hiring mistakes — including some I’ve narrowly avoided and others I’ve made personally. Use this information to guide your own hiring decisions so you can be confident in the people you choose for your team.

1. Don’t hire talent over character

“How familiar are you with javascript?” is one of the least valuable questions you can ask in an interview. Don’t get me wrong; there’s a place for technical screening during the hiring process. But as a lead, there are better uses of your time.

At the end of the day, I can teach Javascript to almost anyone — or at least anyone likely to make it far enough in the hiring process that I’m having a face-to-face conversation with them.

I can’t necessarily teach a candidate how to get along with me. Compatibility can be nurtured to a certain extent, but much of it is innate. It’s either there or it’s not.

Your time in an interview is far better spent asking questions that speak to the character of your candidate. I’ve written an entirely separate article about that, which you can read below.

Related: I’ve Interviewed Thousands of Candidates — Here Are the 2 Questions I’ve Asked All of Them

2. Don’t assume pedigree is the same as value

The fact that a candidate went to a prestigious school or worked at a major company might get them in the door. But it should never be enough to land them the job outright.

Not everyone who went to Harvard or Yale is a genius, and not everyone who worked at Microsoft is a visionary. An institution’s reputation might suggest something notable about the people associated with it, but it guarantees nothing.

In fact, many students who attend Ivy League schools are strangely shy about it — because they want their work and character to speak for themselves. Having big names on a resume could mean that someone is exceptional, but it might also mean that they’re counting on those names to do the heavy lifting for them.

You can (and should) apply the same thinking to a candidate’s specific experience. They may have managed a big team at their last job, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they could do it at your company.

What’s on their resume lands them the interview. It’s what they say during the interview that lands them the job.

3. Don’t hire someone to grow into the role

This one’s probably a little confusing because it seems to fly in the face of conventional wisdom. Aren’t you supposed to put people in positions where they’ll develop better skills over time?

Of course, you are. However, your company culture and leadership style will help the right candidate grow, even if they’re overqualified when they start. And it’s much better to hire someone who can slam-dunk their position from day one than someone who will need their handheld.

Don’t hire someone who needs to grow into the role; hire someone where the role can grow into them. If you believe that your company will grow (and hopefully you do), then the role should be able to grow into their skillset.

Let’s go back to the example I presented at the start of this article — the candidate who wasn’t comfortable with our tech stack at Square. That candidate ended up thriving in their role, even though the technology it required is now completely different. In other words, the role eventually adapted to their soft skills and character.

The way you hire a candidate sets the tone for your professional relationship

Too many people look at whether to hire someone as a simple yes or no question, but it’s much more than that. Hiring a candidate becomes the first interaction you have with a new employee, so the way you do it colors the rest of your professional relationship with them.

Technical skills, strong references, and growth potential are all valuable qualities in a candidate. But a person’s character, accomplishments, and ability to excel are all much clearer indicators of how successful they can be.

And remember: hiring someone isn’t when you stop learning about someone — it’s when you start. You can pick up some more tips on how to build strong relationships with your team below.