Startup Guides > Why Small Businesses Should Not Hire These 3 Types Of People

Hiring? Even the most perceptive business owners can make a bad hire when they don't pay attention to the right signs. Here are 3 personality types that can bring down your business and how you can spot them in an interview:

1) The Narcissist

It's easy to make the mistake of hiring a narcissist. They are often charismatic and radiate self-confidence. But a narcissist will manipulate others in the office, be careless about commitments, and will refuse to admit or learn from mistakes. The trouble is that narcissists always do beautifully on an interview, but they can't get along with anybody because it's all about them.

How to spot them: A narcissist will have a swagger, so watch a job candidate's body language closely for signs of cockiness. When you ask candidates about their experience working in teams, do they focus exclusively on themselves or make deprecating remarks about teammates? Those are red flags that you might have a narcissist on your hands.


2) The Social Loafer

While this individual's behavior is far more passive than that of a narcissist, it's this very passivity that will drive you and your employees insane; people who are inordinately lazy when it comes to working in teams. This personality type is particularly problematic in a small business where every individual counts. Social loafers let others do their work for them and take on a passive-aggressive attitude in the office. Such behavior will create resentment in others who feel they have to pull more weight.

How to spot them: You need to assess a candidate's energy level during the job interview. To get a sense of how much energy people have, pay attention not only to what they are saying, but also to how they are saying it. Take a prospective candidate to get a cup of coffee during the interview; it's a subtle way to get them moving and see if they can keep up with you.

3) The Hyper-Emotional Hire

While most people can keep their emotions in check during a job interview, hyper-emotional personality types can be resistant to rules, pessimistic and whiny. This is the type of employee who slams doors and is constantly complaining. Other employees will feel the need to tiptoe around them, and all that explosive negativity can be contagious.

How to spot them: Even hyper-emotional job candidates will know better than to complain during an interview. Ask them what they didn't like about their previous job or boss, and you'll likely get a rehearsed response. Watch for their reaction: Do they get huffy when you challenge them? Do they offer lessons learned or focus only on the negatives?

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