Have you noticed lately that everyone you have been interviewing is below average? They have bad attitudes, no personality, and really don’t seem to care about impressing you. So what do you do if you have a position that needs filling and a limited amount of time or resources to actually find someone to fill it? Hire the best of a bad bunch I guess? Not ideal but you need bums on seats.

Maybe they are ok in the interview and you are desperate to get someone in the role so you give them a shot. Not only have they not impressed you since signing the contract, but also they really don’t seem to bother putting in any effort to learn their new role, let alone do well in it.

This can be a major issue in a candidate driven market like the one we are in now. Unemployment has never been lower (currently 5.3 percent according the Australian Bureau of Statistics) and HR professionals are finding it increasingly difficult to attract good talent. So you settle, but what does this mean for your business? Are you or another employee being forced to pick up the slack? Is it creating issues with overall performance or company culture?

The situation isn’t ideal if you are forced to settle for a candidate that you don’t love. Or maybe just isn’t the right fit. We are strong advocates for hiring for attitude and then training the skill. You can do a lot more with a new employee who is excited and wants to learn than you can with someone who has the experience but doesn’t give a hoot about the role.