Beware the under-performing self-promoter
How CEOs can avoid making a hiring mistake
She walks into your office, sits down and dazzles with her interview-dominating charm. You’re blown away by her résumé and portfolio of past accomplishments. She explains her vision for where she thinks you could take the business. You think: “This person is a leader, a winner, a top performer. I need to hire her now.”
Congratulations, you just hired an under-performing selfpromoter, the kind of employee with the personality and salesmanship to convince you she can transform your business, but lacking the skills or drive to deliver on those promises.
I think most entrepreneurs have made this type of erroneous hire at least once in their careers.
I know I have, and I work in recruitment. We’re not incompetent CEOs (or hiring managers, or HR professionals); self-promoters are very good at selling themselves.
That said, top performers also tend to be very skilled at selling their services. And they should be. They’re the best their industry has to offer. The challenge is to discern the real top performers from those who lay claim to the title without being able to back it up.
Figuring this out comes down to managing the interview process and then giving your company an out-clause, just in case. Here are five tips to help avoid hiring an underperforming self-promoter: Understand how your team works and hire accordingly Many companies don’t draft an appropriate job description that accurately profiles their ideal candidate. As a result, they end up cycling through endless interviews, leaving themselves exposed to the magnetic pull of the selfpromoter, which can be hard to resist if you’re desperate to fill a position quickly. Ask the right questions A selfpromoter loves open-ended questions such as: “Tell us why you’re great at what you do.” They allow candidates to make generalizations and lay on the hyperbole — not necessarily exaggerations or mistruths, but ambitious characterizations that inflate the value of their expertise and contributions to previous employers’ successes. Instead, ask situational questions that force candidates to provide specific, technical answers related to the position. The more precise you are with the questioning, the more you’ll learn about their abilities and personality. Do your research Reference checks are an important part of the screening process, but the objectivity of the person on the other end of the line is always a question mark. Very few candidates provide references with whom they’ve had a poor working relationship.
That doesn’t mean you should abandon this triedand-true recruitment tactic, but try to take it a step further.
Self-promoters are very good at selling themselves
When checking references, ask specific questions such as how the candidate performed on a weekly basis, how they interacted with co-workers, what major wins they helped their employer achieve (or a positive impact they made), and what they could have done better.
Then try to contact others in the industry who had contact with the candidate, and ask the same questions. While past employers need to be somewhat reserved in their assessments due to legal restrictions, the candidate’s former colleagues — if you can find them — will often be more candid. Probation I can’t stress enough the importance of including a significant probation in any employment contract, as long as six months, if possible. In that time, you should be able to discern a top performer from a self-promoter and correct course as needed. Use the time to analyze your new hire’s cultural fit and use quantitative tools to measure his or her work output and quality. Then compare the work to employees doing similar jobs. Ask yourself: if we let this person go, would it negatively affect our business? If the answer is no, you might want to part ways before the probation ends. Seek feedback from peers Look to your employees for honest feedback on how the new hire is performing. Again, be sure to ask specific, technical questions that relate to actual workplace situations, and be prepared to dig deeper if the feedback is anything less than glowing.
If you still find you’ve hired an under-performing selfpromoter, don’t be afraid to cut your losses and terminate. The last thing you want to do is have this person weighing down your workplace culture, productivity, innovation and performance. Chalk it up to a learning experience and be prepared to move on.