When Should You Hire Someone Who’s Been Let Go?

Would you consider hiring someone who was fired from a past position? Given the current state of employment in Hawaii, more employers are opting to give employees second chances in order to fill gaps in their workforce. But how do you decide who gets hired and who doesn’t?

Here are a few things to consider when interviewing a candidate who was let go from a previous position.

Why was the prospective employee terminated?

People are often let go for practical reasons beyond incompetency or bad behavior. Listen to what the individual has to say and ask candid questions about the specific reasons and circumstances behind the termination decision.

Consider hiring an individual if their termination was related to:

• Fit— it’s possible that the applicant’s past position simply wasn’t a good fit for their skill set or dynamic of the team. Consider using behavior-based questions during the interview and making a careful skill assessment to see if they would fit well with your company.
• Management—a person’s boss plays a huge role in their success at a company. Perhaps they had a boss who had unreasonable demands, played favorites, or didn’t provide them with the tools or support to be successful. Don’t discount an applicant because they were stuck with a subpar manager.
• Company policy—did they disregard a minor company policy like using a cell phone at their desk or leaving five minutes early? If that’s the case, they there may have been a misunderstanding or a lack of awareness. Don’t jump to the conclusion that your employee is a bad apple.

Don’t hire an individual terminated for:

• Misconduct—from sexual harassment to violence in the workplace, employees who show a history of this behavior are a bigger liability to your company.
• Unethical conduct—lying, stealing, and fraud are all considered forms of unethical conduct that should never be tolerated in the workplace.

“Some people may say they left for personal reasons or by mutual agreement. These are red flags,” warns ALTRES Staffing manager Emy Yamauchi-Wong. “Always clarify by asking the candidate, ‘When we call your previous employer to confirm your reason for leaving, will they say you quit, were laid off, or were terminated?’

Did the person learn from the incident?

Everyone makes mistakes. How the person reacts to and learns from that mistake is what matters. Employees who take accountability for their actions will more likely evaluate themselves after they’re released and adjust their behavior for the better in the future.

If a candidate lets you know they are no longer with the company and doesn’t take any ownership in the termination, move forward with caution. Refusal to accept any responsibility for their role in the situation should give you pause.

What do others say about the person who was let go?

Contact the references provided by the potential employee and look for trends. Do they offer glowing reports, or are they a bit iffy? Are you seeing a pattern of unethical or other bad behavior? If recommendations are overall positive, the circumstances that led to a termination may have been a one-time thing.

When it comes to hiring someone who has been let go, the bottom line is that it’s important to look at the bigger picture. Sometimes sitting down and speaking with an applicant is all you need to realize that the individual may have had unfortunate circumstances.

Finding the right employee for your company is difficult. That’s why ALTRES assesses personality and skills using a scientifically proven system before placing them with businesses.