“This business would be so much easier without candidates and clients.”
It’s a tongue-in-cheek remark that many recruiters and talent acquisition professionals have thought at least once in their careers. But let’s face it—if it were easy, everyone would do it. Recruitment is a people business, and people are, by nature, unpredictable.
So, what happens when a hire doesn’t work out? Not just the odd typo on a LinkedIn post or a misplaced comma in a blog, but a meaty mistake that impacts your business, your reputation, and your relationship with your client. How do you handle it when a placement you made goes south during the probation period?
The Reality of Recruitment
First, let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room: as recruiters, we rarely have the final say on who gets hired. Sure, we have the power to say “no” when a candidate doesn’t meet the brief, but the ultimate decision is almost always made by hiring managers, their managers, technical interviewers, and sometimes even HR.
Yet, when a hire doesn’t work out, the weight of that decision often lands squarely on the recruiter’s shoulders.
In my years working in-house, I’ve had executives storm into my office demanding, “Who hired this person?” My response has always been the same: “Me, as the manager.” It’s not about throwing a recruiter on the team under the bus—it’s about owning the process and protecting your team while addressing the issue constructively.
When Mistakes Happen
Let’s be honest: bad hires happen. People can be unpredictable, and no amount of screening, interviewing, or reference checking can guarantee 100% success. That’s why probation periods exist.
But when a hire fails, it’s easy for businesses to jump at shadows. I’ve seen organizations launch full-scale “autopsies” of the situation—reviewing interview notes, scrutinizing reference checks, analyzing the speed of the process, and dissecting every decision made.
While I’m all for continuous improvement, there’s a fine line between learning from mistakes and overreacting. Dismantling an entire recruitment process because of one bad hire is rarely the answer.
A Better Approach
So, what should you do when a hire doesn’t work out?
- Acknowledge the Situation: Accept that mistakes happen but don’t let them define your process or team.
- Identify the Root Cause: Was this a one-off issue, or does it point to a larger problem in your recruitment process?
- Focus on Improvement: If there’s a gap in your process, address it. Maybe it’s refining your interview questions, improving reference checks, or adding another layer of assessment.
- Don’t Overreact: Avoid dismantling your entire recruitment strategy or department over a single incident. Instead, focus on building resilience and trust in your processes.
- Share Responsibility: Remember, recruitment is a collaborative effort. The decision to hire is shared across multiple stakeholders, and accountability should reflect that.
The Bigger Picture
Recruitment is a high-stakes business because it’s about people. And people, for all their potential, can sometimes surprise us in ways we didn’t expect. But jumping at shadows—reacting out of fear or frustration—doesn’t help anyone.
Instead, take a step back. Learn from the experience. Build stronger processes. And remember, one bad hire doesn’t define your ability as a recruiter or the strength of your team.
After all, if recruitment were easy, everyone would do it.
The Talent Initiative 
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