The worst interview could end up being your best employee.

Sometimes, your worst interviews turn out to be your best employees. Yes, it happens.

You get that candidate in front of you, everything matches on paper. They have a great LinkedIn profile, a great resume. They meet all the requirements, their references check out, and they have a very stable job history. They’ve been fully vetted by the recruiter that you hired and presented to you; everything checks. Then, you meet them, and for some reason, it just doesn’t feel right. They’re nervous; the interview doesn’t go well; they missed a few key questions that you expected them to answer better; they met a couple of your team members, and the team members weren’t totally blown away. In turn, you pass on the candidate.

Here’s what we recommend if you get a candidate in front of you and everything checks out (the backgrounds, references, job history): do yourself a favor and schedule a second meeting with that candidate. Maybe even do it outside of the office. Meet them for coffee. Meet them for lunch. Give that candidate that checked out on paper a second chance in person. Maybe they just had a bad day. Maybe they just don’t interview well. Maybe they get super nervous. So, give them a second chance, especially if the candidate you’re hiring is not being hired for a super high-pressure, customer-facing position. If it’s a high-pressure position where they’re having to close deals or present to a bunch of people, and they didn’t nail it when they came in to meet your team, that’s one thing. But, for other positions that aren’t super high-pressure or customer-facing, if the candidate didn’t do well during that first interview, I highly recommend that you bring them back in and do a second one. Do it outside the office. Take them to lunch. See how it goes.

For more great recruitment advice, turn to Colorado’s number one head hunter — Riderflex! Check out our blog today.