Do Underqualified People Thrive When Given The Opportunity? Or Fail?

Man, what did I get myself into?

In theory, you’d like to believe there is was an equalizing force in the universe that says if you give an under-qualified, overlooked person a chance to be great he/she will rise up to the occasion, exceed everyone’s expectations, and succeed.

Everyone deserves a chance, don’t they?

As someone who has worked in the staffing industry and “toyed” with taking risks, I can tell you, without a doubt, that it has worked. The sense of pride and accomplishment from finally getting one’s “time to shine” does bring out the best in many people.

Over time though, the more that I attempted this, unfortunately, the odds caught up with me and it turned out to be a disaster.

Oh boy.

Predisposition To Failure

Many years ago, my Manager randomly walked up behind me and peered at me with the type of look that made you pause, unsure of what was to happen to next. He said: “Jeffrey, if you take all of the money in the world and evenly divided among every person, within 5 years, that money would be right back to where it was now!”

Could that be true? Despite someone’s best effort and intentions… were they doomed? How about this… did every person who received a subprime loan default on it? Can one just predict one’s destiny based on certain risk calculations?

Of course not. Not everyone’s is prone to failure. Some people do defy the odds.

Recruiting

In theory, the most educated, experienced people always get the job, right? Not always. There are many reasons they don’t:

1. They do not include a cover letter… or send the same generic one.
2. They have not researched the company
3. They seem disinterested in the position… or have an “air” of being confrontational or challenging to peers
4. They are extremely vague about salary history and/or salary expectations
5. They do not follow-up
6. They cannot pass a criminal background check

With that being said, the next candidate is looking better and better. Until you call them and they’ve already excepted an offer. The next candidate on the list has moved back to her hometown.

By the time you have landed on a candidate who is available and ready to accept the position, you are so far off target from the ideal candidate.

So, inevitably, you are offering the position to someone less qualified. And there is a risk attached to that.

Thanks for keeping my resume on file!

Reality

The reality is that you never really know someone until you hire them.

Adverse Selection — In the case of anyone who is looking for work, the question is always:  “How did they get in this situation?” Did this individual lose their job as to no fault of their own? Did they really give 2 weeks notice or was there a supervisor out there one day away from sending this poor guy/gal into unemployment?

One could argue that those people in high demand are insulated in rapid upswings of unemployment — which leaves employers having to screen and “weed out” what’s left.

Moral Hazard — With the candidate still being new to the organization, and not yet fully trained, there is always a concern that the new hire overstated their skill set and may not have the cognitive ability to use good judgment and avoid issues before they occur. 

The goal is to not be too harsh when mistakes are made. They’re expected to some degree. Nobody wants a reputation of being a “revolving door” or being unsupportive in occasions where training is mandatory.

Now What?

My goal is to match the person on paper at the interview with the person who shows up at my door for their first day. The qualities I seek in a new hire are self-accountability, responsibility, being proactive, organization, drive, as well as possessing good decision-making and communication skills.

Unfortunately, it’s just a matter of time before the real reason why this person is unemployed become apparent. I’m not sure how this happens. It’s almost as if, once they receive the job offer, they simply discount the need to prove themselves.

Your job is completely on an at-will basis — meaning I have the right to terminate you as I see fit and am not even obliged to grant you an explanation. But, if you are terminated from a position and are clueless as to what happened, something is sorely remiss in your ability to sense people and to sense if there are problems in your work output.

In Closing

Set clear expectations. While there is a cost to having to recruit, train, and retain a new employee, there is a far larger cost to tolerating behavior that compels a company to be drawn into a long, winding road of laziness, incompetency, and excuses.

Me? I cut my losses quick. Not only is my business affected, but so are my co-workers and clients. It’s unfair to all of us.

Next time, instead of offering the opportunity who was more underqualified than I would have normally liked, I will go out of my way to screen candidates more stringent… even elongate the recruiting process if need be.

I’d rather just leave the position open. It’s just not worth it!

What do you think?