My worst hires

Everyone saying she might be a bad interviewer or need to practice discernment, but standard interview processes heavily reward charisma, rehearsed storytelling, and social manipulation over actual on-the-job execution. Standard behavioral questions (like "Tell me about a time you failed") are easily gamified. Highly polished candidates often function like professional politicians: they excel at the campaign (the interview) but fail at the governance (the actual job). Why the "Perfect Candidate" Fails on the Job 1. Interviewing is a separate skill: Polished corporate operators spend hours studying the exact frameworks interviewers use, allowing them to deliver flawless, scripted answers without possessing the underlying capability. 2. Confirmation bias: When an interviewer builds instant personal rapport, they subconsciously stop evaluating competence and begin looking for reasons to validate their positive gut feeling. 3. The "Halo Effect" of pedigree: Elite brand names on a resume or an exceptionally charismatic delivery create a safety net that blinds interviewers to a lack of substance. When a candidate seems too good to be true, you must look past the charm. Experts and hiring managers on LinkedIn and Reddit flag these specific warning signs during candidate interviews: 1. The Smooth Talker Who Glides Over Details 2. Rehearsed, Flawless Failure Stories 3. High Charm, Low Curiosity 4. The Title Chaser To bypass the interview theater, shift from conversation to audition: 1. Implement Work Sample Tests: Never hire solely on talk. Give candidates a small, paid, real-world assignment (e.g., writing a sample brief, reviewing a snippet of code, or building a mock project plan). 2. Use the "Chronological" Interview Method: Instead of disjointed behavioral questions, walk through their career chronologically. Ask what their specific goals were at each job, what they actually achieved, and what their manager would say were their biggest development areas. 3. Conduct In-Depth Reference Checks: Do not just call the references they provide. Use your network to find mutual connections who worked directly alongside them to verify their actual daily output and attitude.