When Is a Hiring Mistake Actually a Hiring Mistake?
We’ve all hired and fired people over the years. That’s just part of running a business. But when is a hiring mistake actually a hiring mistake? My answer is pretty simple. A hiring mistake is only a hiring mistake when you keep them.
Most people already know when someone isn’t going to work out. They just don’t want to admit it. They hire someone, and within the first day or the first week, they can feel something’s off. But instead of acting on that, they give them chance after chance after chance, hoping the person will somehow turn into someone else.
That’s where the real mistake happens.
A Real Life Example
I just went through this recently. The guy interviewed really well. He said all the right things. We checked his references and they seemed fine. On paper, he looked good.
But the very first day he walked into the shop, I remember thinking to myself, God, this kid isn’t going to make it. My son noticed it too. Another tech said, “It’s only the first day, let’s give him a chance to settle in.”
By the second day, that same tech was texting me instead of saying it out loud because he didn’t want to embarrass the guy: Yeah… he’s not going to make it. Even one of the advisors pulled me aside and said, “Man, this guy is not going to work.”
And the truth is, I already knew it on day one.
So we let him go.
What most people do instead is they keep someone like that around for six months or a year before finally releasing them, even though they already knew in the first week that it wasn’t going to work. Usually, you know almost immediately whether someone is going to be good or not.
What To Do If You Think You Hired the Wrong Person
If you do hire someone and you’re unsure about them, there are three things that really matter early on.
1. Set expectations clearly and immediately
From the very beginning, expectations have to be set clearly and directly. Not vaguely. Not “we’ll see how it goes.” They need to know exactly what the job is, what good performance looks like, and what you expect from them.
A lot of problems come from people not knowing what standard they’re supposed to meet. If expectations aren’t clear, you can’t fairly judge whether someone is meeting them.
2. Make sure the right person is training them
Someone has to be in the trenches with the new hire, showing them how your systems actually work and watching how they respond. That person should be able to tell you, honestly, whether the new hire is picking things up or struggling.
But here’s something people don’t think about enough: you have to be careful who you put in that position.
If I put someone in charge of training and they come back and tell me, “This guy’s not going to make it,” I have to ask myself, is that real feedback, or is this person threatened?
Low performers often see a new hire as a risk. They worry that this person might be better than them, and that they might lose their job. So instead of helping, they may withhold support or give you biased feedback.
High performers don’t think that way. High performers want the team stronger. They’re not worried about being replaced.
So the person you trust to train a new hire has to be someone who:
– knows the system
– isn’t insecure
– and will tell you the truth
Otherwise, you might be getting a distorted picture of what’s actually happening.
3. Trust what you see, not what you hope
If you’re hearing the same thing from multiple people, and especially if it matches what you already felt yourself, pay attention to that.
If you already know in your gut that this person isn’t going to make it, don’t talk yourself out of it. Don’t keep them around just because you don’t want to deal with it.
Dragging it out doesn’t help them. It doesn’t help your team. And it definitely doesn’t help your business.
The Bottom Line
A bad hire is part of business. It happens to everyone. But turning a bad hire into a long-term problem is a choice. A hiring mistake is only a mistake when you keep them.
So the better question isn’t, “Did I make a hiring mistake?” It’s: “Did I act on what I already knew?” If this sounds familiar, it’s probably time to tighten up how you hire, train, and lead your team.
That’s exactly what we teach inside Auto Shop Answers. If you’re ready to take your shop to the next level, start your training today.