9 ways to Prevent Poor Recruitment
From 1st January 2027 employees will have the right to Unfair Dismissal protection and employment tribunal claims after a 6 month period. A new recruit from 1st July 2026 will have the right to Unfair Dismissal protection under the new January law too.
Here we’ll look at nine practical ways to reduce the risk of appointing a poor performer.
- Stress-test your current recruitment process
Action: Review recent hires and identify recurring issues. Ask what warning signs were missed and where decisions were rushed.
Why: Poor outcomes are usually predictable. Use past mistakes to tighten future decisions, rather than repeating them.
- Get the job description and essentials right
Action: Rewrite job descriptions to reflect what the role genuinely requires and what is realistic at the salary offered. Clearly separate essential from desirable criteria. Consider workplace values and culture for person specification details.
Why: If a criterion is essential, only interview candidates who meet it. Otherwise, expect poor fit and performance.
- Raise the bar at application stage
Action: Use application forms or pre‑screening questions and reject incomplete or careless applications. Consider shortlisting by panel.
Why: This filters out low‑effort applicants and signals that standards matter from the start. Motivated candidates will engage.
- Explore work history honestly and early
Action: Ask about reasons for leaving roles and gaps in employment at interview or pre‑interview (e.g. phone/video screening). Check employment history and references carefully.
Why: Avoid surprises later. Patterns in past employment often predict future issues that may come to light in probation or after.
- Stop relying on a single interview
Action: Introduce at least two stages (e.g. phone/video screening followed by a face‑to‑face or panel interview). Add a “meet the team” element where possible.
Why: One interview rarely shows how someone actually behaves at work. Multiple touchpoints improve judgement and reduce snap decisions.
- Use tasks or short trial shifts to test capability
Action: Include a role‑relevant task or short trial shift to assess skills in practice – role play, inbox exercises, scenarios based on your workplace values and skill sets required. Keep any work trials brief and ideally paid at least minimum wage. Consider psychometric testing for more senior roles.
Why: What candidates say they can do and what they can actually do are often different. Practical testing reveals this quickly.
- Look beyond technical skill to self‑awareness and behaviour
Action: Test how candidates respond to mistakes, feedback, setbacks and challenge. Listen for blame, exaggeration, grievance‑fixation or “victim” narratives.
Why: Poor attitudes, defensiveness and inflated self‑stories are high‑risk indicators for potentially problematic, extreme difficult behaviour employees.
- Ask better interview questions – then probe harder
Action: Use behavioural, competency and evidence‑based questions. Drill down by asking candidates to walk through what they did step‑by‑step or “talk it backwards”.
Why: Surface‑level answers are easy to fake. Detailed probing exposes genuine experience—or the lack of it.
- Strengthen onboarding and probation processes
Action: Plan a structured induction, clear objectives and regular probation reviews (up to six months, with extension if needed). Shorten probation for example to 3 months +2 months extension or 4 months +1-month extension.
Why: Early clarity and documented performance management matter more than ever and may soon be a legal expectation.
If you are seeking HR support with recruitment, induction or probation please contact CBR HR hr@cbrsolutions.org.uk
You may be interested in previous posts on onboarding, induction and probation:
Probation Periods in UK Employment: legal changes coming – CBR Business Solutions
The importance of effective onboarding and induction – CBR Business Solutions
