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Truly scary hiring stories just in time for Halloween
Dave White
October 30, 2024
đź«Ł Truly scary hiring stories just in time for Halloween
Read on if you dare…
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“We hired someone who seemed great, but they immediately started bad mouthing the company on social media. It was a nightmare.
2 Scary Stories That Happened To Me!
#1. The case of the unexpected new employee
After 6 weeks of interviews through every level of the organization I received a substantial offer from a small growth startup. The CEO and most of the executive team worked remotely. Excited for my first day on the job I confidently walked into the front door and introduced myself to the Receptionist and CEO’s Executive Assistant.
But…
They had never heard of me before! They had no idea who I was and why I was there. To make it worse, they did not believe me when I explained I was a new employee! After 2 hours, several calls, and much confusion, they said they were sorry and welcomed me to the company. But, there was nowhere for me to work and no one else was expecting me either. It took the first week to get it resolved.
So much for successful onboarding. And, yes, it was a sign of things to come.
#2. The case of the disappearing new employee
As a sales leader for a mid-sized tech company years ago we hired an Inside Sales Rep. He had a strong background of success and impeccable references. His interviews went very well.
After 3 weeks of onboarding and training we noticed he would disappear for hours at a time. Yet, his basic numbers were good - dials were up, conversations met goals, and early indications were that he was performing. But the numbers did not match his time at his desk.
Digging in, his manager discovered he was going to another part of the building and calling his desk number using an outside line to leave voce mail messages. He would return to his desk and listen to his own voice mail messages several times each and even pretend to be talking. This tricked our system into giving him credit for dials, calls, and talk time.
He did not last more than another few days before we parted ways.
📙 Report: “9 Spine Tingling HR Horror Stories to Read With the Lights On” - Hire Learning by Breezy (Especially #6!)
2 scary stories that happened to others
#1 The mutiny
After hiring several new employees the CEO of this startup noticed his co-founders and employees shared the same values and were getting along well. So well in fact he overlooked some red flags with new employees he wished he had corrected earlier. But things were not good behind his back…
In his own words "My terrible employees staged a mutiny to try to get rid of me, and corrupted the culture of the company into a festering pool of entitlement, focused only on their benefits instead of our clients." He lists this as one of the worst chapters in his professional life.
#2. The “mis-used” company car
Hiring 3 new outside sales people was a top priority for this well funded tech company. They were able to bring all 3 in for training and onboarding at the same time.
Now imagine this - 5 months after hiring them. The Senior Director is relaxing and watching the local evening news when he sees…
One of his new sales people featured in a story about dealing drugs from his company car - video and all - company name proudly featured!
Avoid Your Own Hiring Horror Story
Start with a well-written and complete job description
Develop a detailed “Desired Candidate Profile”
We’ll dive into this in next week’s newsletter
Work samples, homework, and tests are critical
Bonus Tip - Thorough reference checks done right
📙 Report: “6 Real-Life Recruiting Horror Stories” - Yello
đź“™ Recommended Reading
OK, not a business book, but it is one of my favorite non-business horror stories.
Parting Thought
“We had to let them go within a month of hiring because they just couldn’t fit into the team. It felt like watching a slow-motion disaster from day one.”
You Can Help
Simply reply to this email and let me know what you think. What would you like to see in upcoming issues? Your feedback is appreciated. Dave
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