Human Resource

Which Is Difficult, To Fire The Wrong Person

Or To Hire The Right Person?

For more than six years of working as Human Resource Officer, hiring the right person and firing the wrong person do not become my cup of tea. They both remain my struggles.

Hiring the right person for a job is one of my toughest tasks. Resumes, aptitude and personality tests and interviews do not say everything about the person. There are applicants who are very intellectually equipped and yet emotionally unprepared for a job. Many times, I was “wowed” by interviewees with their credentials, level of confidence and pleasant personalities only to realize quite soon they are not the right persons for the job. Some lack the “soft” skills, while others, the “hard” skills necessary in order to be effective in a job. I once hired a Training Officer whom I thought was very fit for the job. During the interview, she convinced me that talking to a group was her passion. Among the applicants, she was the most conversant and pleasant. I hired her on the spot. During her evaluation day, she seemed very enthusiastic while running the training. However, after several times of running the same training, she admitted she had difficulty sustaining a discussion to a big group of 30 to 40 trainees. I was already trapped with her “deception skills” during the interview. She exactly knew who I wanted and pretended to be that person. And I was wrong.

I also hired a store operations supervisor whose resume, wit and leadership potential impressed me. After a month, she came to my office with a resignation letter, telling me she could hardly supervise her subordinates. She even cried in front of them out of frustration.

On the contrary, there was this one employee I hired despite the lack of competence. She had difficulty expressing her thoughts and showed nervousness while talking. I still hired her because of the urgent need. She has been with the company for three years and almost always hits the sales quota. These experiences made me realize that I can never say who the “right” person. Whom I considered “right” was “wrong” and whom I thought was “wrong” turned out “right”. Indeed. It will take time to be able to know if he or she is the right person. And usually, the confirmation happens after hiring the person.

In the same manner, firing the wrong person is one of the hardest things to do. It is even made more difficult when that person considers himself “right” for the job or when you know he or she is the family bread-winner. One probationary employee contested the performance appraisal of his immediate superior. He was very disheartened and it took me almost an hour to explain why his contract had to be terminated. During our conversation, I reflected I caused a share of his pain for hiring him.