Many employers can agree that having a candidate with confidence is a definite asset. Confident candidates take more initiative, interact better with existing employees, and usually show some potential for leadership. Unfortunately with an over-abundness of confidence can come an overzealousness and cocky attitude, which can become an employer’s nightmare. Here are several signs that your candidate has a little too much confidence:
- A Lack of Empathy: Often employees can be extremely efficient and hard working individuals but have no regard for the people around them. Although someone may be going above and beyond in with his or her own work, it is important to remember that a team player mentality is extremely valuable. On smaller projects one person may thrive but one who does not value the whole team will be extremely difficult to deal with when the project becomes too much for them to manage.
- Disrespecting other people’s time: When a candidate shows a lack of enthusiasm or respect for someone else’s time it is a definite red flag in the hiring process. Most people know to be on time and punctual but it is just as important to make sure the candidate does not take up to much of someone else’s time. By making sure everything is punctual or does not run too long, an employee is showing respectfulness for what type of work the other person does and shows efficiency. Think about this the next time your interviewee tries to elongate an interview beyond the designated time frame.
- Impatience: When someone shows a lack of patience it can be detrimental to a business. Without a smooth workflow it is impossible to achieve any goal. An impatient person will often times throw off the balance of a company by bugging people about completing something or making snide remarks about the punctuality of another person.
- A Big Mouth: A candidate that does not know when to stop talking or has to tell everyone about his or her importance to the company is not someone you want on your team. This can cause lots of drama and turmoil among your employees and is just plain annoying for many people in and around your business. It’s fine (and expected) for a candidate to show themselves in their best light during an interview scenario, or highlight accomplishments, however when a candidate demonstrates an “I’m the best thing since sliced bread” mentality at the office, this is a problem.
- A Micromanager: Although this term is used allot these days, it does pop up in a lot of industries. Micromanagers are often cocky individuals who need to have a hand in everything (including routine or low level tasks) in order to ensure it is done “correctly”. These employees are often focused on making sure their vision is upheld rather than that of the team.
When the time comes for a hiring decision, do your due diligence….talk to people the candidate not only reported to, but a few who reported to them if possible. Did they have respect for this individual? Was he or she considered a strong leader? Cause drama in the office?
MSA has been identifying the most qualified individuals for positions within the mortgage and financial industries for over three decades. This experience has enabled us to build a powerful national network comprised of the most talented individuals in the industry. If you’d like to get in touch with us about our candidate or employer services, please visit our website and complete the contact form on our webpage and we’ll get back to you.
