Hiring should be exciting. After all, you’re bringing fresh talent into your team, opening the door for new ideas, growth, and that extra spark to push your company forward. But what if your hiring process isn’t working as well as you think it is? Spoiler: If you’re constantly scratching your head over turnover or struggling to find "the one," it might be time for a tune-up.
Signs your hiring process needs help
Here are seven warning signs your hiring process might be costing you great candidates and leading you toward bad hires.
1. You're relying too heavily on gut instinct
Trusting your gut is fine when picking pizza toppings. When hiring? Not so much. If interviews are full of "I have a good feeling about this one" and "they seem like a good fit," you might be basing huge decisions on first impressions rather than data. Good hiring needs structure, consistency, and a little science to back it up. Plus, when you use data over instinct, you're less likely to fall prey to unconscious bias that could be blinding you to true potential.
2. Your job descriptions sounds like it's out of a time capsule
"Must be proficient in fax machine operation." Okay, maybe your job descriptions aren't that bad but you'd be surprised by the number of companies that reuse old postings for years. On top of that, job descriptions are also notorious for being vague, generic, or for asking for everything and the kitchen sink. These postings confuse candidates and make your company look stuck in the past. A great job posting should be clear, engaging, and actually reflect what’s important for the role today, not what it was 5 years ago.
Read More: What's the connection between job fit and hiring success?
3. Interviews feel like awkward first dates
If your interviews are all small talk and random questions like "What’s your greatest weakness?" you’re doing your candidates (and yourself) a disservice. Structured interviews that focus on role-specific competencies and behaviors get you way closer to understanding if someone will thrive in your environment. It also allows you to make fair comparisons between candidates since everyone was interviewing on an even playing field. Save the small talk for the coffee break. Plan ahead for your interviews and know what you're looking for and what questions will help you find it.
4. Time-to-hire is so long candidates forgot they applied
If it takes weeks (or worse, months) to move candidates through the process, chances are good you're losing the best ones along the way. Top talent has options, and they’re not waiting around forever. Streamlining your hiring process keeps candidates engaged and gives you a better shot at snagging your top choice before someone else does. It also shows you're respectful of candidates' time and not willing to leave them in limbo for too long.
5. New hires leave before they find the coffee machine
Early turnover is a huge (and expensive) red flag. If people are leaving within the first few months, it could be a sign that expectations weren’t set properly during hiring—or that the person wasn’t actually the right fit for the role. A strong hiring process focuses on both skills and cultural fit to prevent those "uh-oh, wrong choice" moments. By hiring with intention from the start, you're giving yourself a better chance at finding the perfect fit for both your role and team. Landing the right person in the right role for them goes a long way toward keeping them in place beyond the first 90 days.
Read More: Identify unconscious bias before it impacts your hiring process
6. Your feedback loop is nonexistent
No feedback? No improvement. If you’re not gathering feedback from candidates or hiring managers after the process, you’re missing critical intel. What worked? What didn’t? Continuous improvement isn’t just for manufacturing floors—it’s a hiring best practice, too. Asking for candidate feedback helps you better understand what your process is like from their perspective and identifies issues or bottlenecks that cause great candidates to drop out of your funnel.
7. You're guessing at candidate potential
"They seem like they’d be good at managing a team." Famous last words. Without tools that assess personality traits, work style, or cognitive abilities, you’re just guessing who has leadership potential or who’ll be a team player. Behavioral assessments like the McQuaig tools can give you real, actionable insight—and save you from a lot of future headaches. Interested in seeing what assessments can do for you? Click here to get started!
McQuaig is here to help
If a few of these warning signs are hitting a little too close to home, don't panic. It doesn’t have to stay that way. McQuaig’s suite of assessments is designed to take the guesswork out of hiring and make the process smoother, faster, and way less stressful. With tools like the Job Survey, Word Survey, and our AI-powered assistant McQuaig Maven, you’ll have the data and insights you need to hire with confidence.
Remember, a broken hiring process isn’t a failure—it’s an opportunity to rebuild better.