With Halloween right around the corner, it’s prime time for nightmares—or is it?

Handling the hiring process is not all fun and games. Sometimes, you would have to deal with the hiring nightmares (sadly, part of the job) which can potentially haunt you even after work hours.

These nightmares aren’t just scary dreams—they’re full of self-doubts and worries that leave us rattled and shaken (and relieved to be awake) the next morning. I can confidently tell you from experience; the hiring scene has some of the best scares.

Need help dialling down the horror factor this Halloween? Here are some ways you can avoid the nightmares of a bad hire.

Hire talents who really want it

Are you bedevilled by the evil talents goblins?

Let’s face it. You can’t avoid this handful of candidates who would go all out to present their best side possible be it online or offline. And, you have to admit, they clean up pretty well. Then there’s us: The sweet, innocent and naive ones that only go for the packaging, hoping that what is inside is as pretty as the outside.

One of the most asked interview questions is, “What do you know about our company?”. As cliché as it is, did you know that this simple question can help you evaluate the motivation of your interviewee?

It is crucial to know how much research the talent has done before the interview: Does he or she knows where your business has been? Where is the business going? Do they see themselves in the company?

The best ones will already have a clue about how they can help the business by suggesting potential solutions. Again, this shows commitment.

As Steve Jobs once said, “People with passion can change the world.”

Hire talents who will fit best

Scared stiff you’ll hire the walking dead? Aren’t we all?

In the ideal world of hiring, we would all like to think of ourselves as demi-gods with the extraordinary power to always hire the perfect talent with the best fit for the company. However, in reality, right when things are going well, you get disappointed with their performance, and you end up saying sayonara to them earlier than expected.

Sometimes, what seems to be the dream talent, may not be the one you are looking for.

Often, many confuse the term ‘culture fit’. What most people mean when they say someone is a good fit is that he or she is someone you’d like to chill and have a beer with after work. The truth is, people with all sorts of personalities can be great at the job you need done.

However, every office has a specific rhythm. Will your new hire fit in and compliment your current team or will your new hire disrupt the flow?

If the new hire is not able to become part of that community, it can affect the employee pool and reverberate for quite some time. One bad hire can cost time, money and the loss of good employees. And, you’ll end up right back at the start of the hiring process again for all the wrong reasons.

In a nutshell, hiring takes work. If you are willing to put in the work, you will be rewarded with a talent or team that works for you.

Spooked?

I wish I could say that every hire is going to be a perfect fit. We both know that’s not true. Even when we think we’ve seen everything and pull out all the right stops, sometimes things don’t go our way.

But that doesn’t mean we should not work towards turning these nightmares into sweet dreams. Whether you can’t wait to get into your party costume or plan on powering through the week with work and avoiding Halloween entirely, Wantedly can help you take the ‘ick’ factor out of hiring.

Enjoyed reading this article? It’s even better in our app. Download the Wantedly Visit app now on Google Play or the App Store.