At a certain juncture in my management career, I made a hiring mistake that remains etched in my memory. It was the initial phase of my tenure at an organization where everything was new—from the culture to the product, and even the leadership— and I was tasked with building and recruiting for a complex, global team. The learning curve was not just steep; it was more like scaling a vertical wall. The pressure to hit the ground running (or more like flying) was immense. The urgency to fill critical roles heightened my stress. Despite my enthusiasm and readiness to take on the world, the relentless pressure from multiple fronts—acclimating to the new role, leading and managing new hires, forging a cohesive team, and justifying its worth amid a whirlwind of leadership and directional shifts — had left me feeling lost and overwhelmed. Up until the final spot, assembling my team was like a jigsaw puzzle that was tough but somehow just clicked into place. But that last piece? That was a doozy. We were searching for a candidate with a rare combination of skills, and naturally, those who fit the bill were already in high demand. The recruitment process was arduous, and my recruiter was new and swamped herself which required me to be hands-on every step of the way, from building the pipeline to inviting people to interview, from selling the role and company to them to conducting interviews alongside my team. After our initial offers were declined, the pressure intensified. My manager, already not the easiest to please, was quickly losing his cool over it. Both the recruiter and I, having put so much into this process, felt our enthusiasm start to fade. There we were, back at the beginning, with my manager clearly irked, and the weight of the situation landing heavily on my shoulders, pushing my morale from low to practically nonexistent.
We stumbled upon one candidate who, at least on paper, looked like they could hit a home run. But during the interview, there was a vibe that just felt... off. Sure, they answered all my questions with the finesse of a politician, but it all seemed a bit too rehearsed. And I wasn't the only one giving side-eye; a colleague of mine smelt the same 'off'ness. It was frustrating, because we couldn't put a finger on it, but it was there. It just didn't feel right. HR raised the flag on unconscious bias when we brought it up, and rightly so. I pride myself on fairness and always strive to keep biases in check, yet I couldn't shake off my reservations. I'm no psychic, and I don't deal in hocus-pocus, but sometimes you can't ignore that intuition—even if it seems a weak reason to not hire someone.
I decided to tackle the issue head-on by revisiting the interview process. I sat down with the interviewers for a comprehensive debrief and brought the issue to my team for an open discussion about the candidate. To clear any doubts, we arranged for another round of interviews with the candidate, this time involving a team member who hadn't been previously involved. This wasn't out of the ordinary for our company, particularly when making final hiring decisions, so it felt right. After meeting with the candidate a second time myself, my initial feelings were reaffirmed—I simply wasn't convinced by them.
The colleague I had asked to conduct the additional interview reported back with no concerns. Considering the competitive landscape, the accumulating workload, and the empty seat adding to my burden, along with leadership's growing impatience, I felt compelled to proceed. Despite the absence of red flags from the second interview and the team's encouragement, I made the decision to go ahead with the hire.
The rest of the story is short.
The outcome was quickly apparent. Not long after the individual joined the team, inconsistencies began to emerge. Their stories varied from one day to the next, and red flags started to appear. Colleagues, clients, and partners expressed a reluctance to work with this person, citing dishonesty and a lack of sincerity. This lack of genuineness became increasingly obvious, causing unease and eroding trust among the team and with our clients.
Ultimately, we had to part ways with the individual, and it was NOT easy!
My key learnings from this experience are:
1️⃣ Prioritize finding the right fit over filling a position quickly. The ideal candidate is worth the wait.
2️⃣ Combine a fair, systematic hiring process with your instinctual judgment. Your gut feeling is often built on professional experience and shouldn't be ignored.
3️⃣ Resist the urge to rush hiring due to external pressures, whether it's the fear of losing an open position or demands from higher-ups. The potential long-term harm of a poor hire, including the detrimental impact on your team and organizational goals, far outweighs the short-term benefits of filling a vacancy hastily.
Reflecting on this experience, I see it as a tough but valuable lesson in hiring—the importance of trusting your gut while sticking to a rigorous selection process cannot be overstated. Mistakes happen, especially when you're under pressure, but they teach you to wait for the right person. It’s about patience, thoroughness, and not compromising your standards even when it’s tempting.
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