Hiring people is a tough job. 

I have hired quite a few people in my career and there is no exact science to it.  Thats why we have the HR department.  But the HR department can only help you so much.  You need to be clear about what you are looking for in an applicant.  Hiring managers is a great example.

We have all seen poor managers that are really “nice” people.  They are alot of fun to hang out with and have no problem just doing all of the work themselves because “its just easier that way”.  But they struggle to make that jump from co-worker to supervisor. 

Or the new manager that takes their new title and runs with it, focusing more on their new title and less on their actual responsibilites.  I bet we all have quite a bit of experience with those managers!

But what about the manager that was really good at their previous job and they got the management job because of how well they did their old job.  Is past performance always an indicator of future success?  Nope! 

So what do you do?  This comes back to good ol’ fashion mentoring and training.  First, make sure that you have a very understanding of the position that you are hiring for.  Is the applicant clear on what is expected in this role?  People will tell you anything you want to hear in the interview so plan to review the responsibilites after you have made the hire.  And then plan to spend some time with this person as they aclimate to thier new job.  Give alot of feedback and don’t assume anything.  Point out the good stuff as often as possible , it makes it much easier to hear the not-so-good stuff. 

And of course, use other resources.  Get other peoples’ input on your applicants and new hires.  A new hires’ success is a reflection on you, so don’t just look at them as someone taking work off of your plate, rather, as someone that represents you!