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Hiring mistakes that cost you time, money, and sanity
What can go wrong... might go wrong?
Michael Girdley
February 01, 2025
Hey GirdleyWorld!
Got some new faces to bring on this year? Don’t screw it up.
7 hiring mistakes that cost you time, money, and sanity
Let’s do it!
For years, one of my biggest mistakes was hiring without a system.
Having a system is how you improve your odds of getting good hires. Because even the smartest, most self-aware people can start making assumptions without realizing it.
And a good system can protect you from a lot of mistakes like these…
(By the way: I’ve linked a sample of my hiring process — the hardcore version — at the bottom, if you’re interested.)
7 Ways People Screw Up Hiring
Mistake #1: Horns and halo biases
Human beings are quick to jump to conclusions.
It’s both a superpower and a weakness of our brains: we can move forward decisively, but we’re vulnerable to all sorts of cognitive biases.
The Horns Effect is when our perception of somebody is unduly influenced by a single trait we see as negative.
The Halo Effect is the opposite: one positive trait can make us feel overly positive about a person as a whole.
Mistake #2: Urgency bias
A great hire is one of the highest-value things you can get right. Hiring the wrong person is an extremely expensive mistake.
In hiring, many people put too much weight on the pain of that position being open. “X can’t move forward until this hire is complete,” or “Filling X position will take so much off my plate.”
Keep the bigger picture in mind. It takes twice as long (or more!) to find an A-player candidate, but that’s worth 10x in the long run.
Mistake #3: Not checking references
2/3rds of resumes stretch the truth or outright lie. A smart person can make their resume tell any story they want.
A second-order mistake people make here is only calling the references a candidate provides.
(One of my hiring secrets is the “Threat of Reference Check” from the Topgrading methodology. Telling a candidate that you do 5 hours of reference calls tends to scare off a lot of bad candidates who would normally think they can BS their way into a job with you.)
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Mistake #4: A super-narrow candidate pool
Some jobs have no wiggle room when it comes to experience.
Pilots, nuclear technicians, and tapdancing instructors all need direct work experience to succeed.
But for lots of other roles, it can help to keep an open mind when it comes to background.
Personally, I like hiring young people to leadership positions: it gives them an opportunity they’re thrilled about, they’re open to influence and training, and they’re hungry.
Keep an open mind. Would a veteran be good in this job? What about a retiree who might want to keep a hand in the game part-time?
Mistake #5: Keeping your candidates in the dark
Let’s assume you’ve landed on a good hiring system. If it’s not transparent to your candidates, you’re going to see people walk away or count themselves out.
When applicants see a clear, organized process, and understand how they fit into it, they’re more likely to stick it out.
A disorganized, drawn-out experience will give them a bad taste for your company.
Mistake #6: Ignoring your gut
Our brains are constantly building a subconscious database of information.
So if you’ve got a bad feeling about a candidate, dig deeper. Note that I’m not saying trust your gut blindly.
But try to find what’s setting off your radar. Look for biases. Look for evidence. If you can’t figure it out, talk it through with someone you trust.
Mistake #7: Wanting perfection
Most people want to bat 100% in hiring. It’s a bad way to think about it.
Because it leads you to only hire “safe” candidates with low ceilings. People are just too complex and every situation differs.
I step back and think about my hit rate.
Can I hit 60-70% hiring A-players? Then I’m stoked.
—
That’s it!
If you want to see my complete hiring process, check it out here — this is the best system I’ve come up with so far.
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3 things from this week
Appetizer: First wine, now diamonds… are there any luxury industries that aren’t collapsing? Check out my YouTube video from this week.
Main: I posted this to LinkedIn and got almost 50 comments (and counting…). It’s an interesting read — and I’d love your take too. Check it out!
Dessert: Of course I was.
Have a great week!
Michael
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