I’m a little bit frustrated with my latest hiring decision. I think it’s because I’m too easily convinced by people who can answer one good question really well. That singular answer taints the rest and I lose a little perspective.
The current hire was a very convincing. He spoke well and gave very clear and effective answers to all the questions posed. My fault was that I didn’t probe him sufficiently and took everything at face value.
As I’ve mentioned before, the work I do is heavy on the numbers and that means some heavy duty Excel work. My fault was not to probe deep into this. Although Excel can be taught, it takes time to acquire the level that I’m looking for. The Hire has good analytical thinking. His main deficiency is in condensing that into something that stands on its own – without him having to explain it.
The moral here for me is that if I have the luxury of time, compromising is possible. If not, then I should have asked the questions that would prove that a person could hop into the job and run. In this instance, at this very point, I’ve screwed up royally.
