How to Judge a Job Candidate with Short Employee Tenures

Employee tenure – the length of time people stay at jobs – is often given a heavyweight in the hiring process. Unfortunately, this can cause many suitable applicants to be dismissed due to short terms of service.

 The median number of years employees spend on a job is just 4.2, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, so it should be expected that many stay far less than that.

This often shouldn't be a factor when considering a new hire because many scenarios cause short or long tenures on a previous job. If a person stays at a company for 20 years simply because they lack the motivation to bother finding something better, that is not a sign that you'll end up with an eager and diligent worker. On the other hand, someone who leaves a job in a month because they realize that the company has a toxic, draining culture can be a powerhouse of productive energy under the right conditions.

How to Judge Job Candidates' Tenures More Effectively

There are many reasons good job candidates leave their former positions early. Therefore, before judging this factor, it is important to understand what motivated a particular applicant to quit his or her job quickly.

Good reasons for leaving include a company's financial instability, an unacceptable change to the pay plan, an unacceptable change in job responsibilities, and more. The culture of a company may also be a good reason for leaving. Toxicity, sexual harassment, or an overall hostile environment will drive the best workers away in a hurry, while those who are part of the problem will be glad to stay.

There are also reasons for leaving that are generally bad. Leaving due to the work hours, which haven't been changed since the hire, is a red flag. The same goes for wanting more money shortly after being hired; if they hop away as soon as a slightly better-paying job opens up, they will likely do the same with your company. "Looking for something new" mere months after being hired is a definite sign that the person is likely to get bored with your company quickly.

The dislike of a manager is a reason that could either be good or bad. It all depends on exactly what the applicant's problem with the prior management was. Company culture flows from the management, so if that culture is hostile, toxic, or overly aggressive to its workers, it is the management's fault. However, if the manager was trying to keep everyone on track and productive, the employee was somehow failing.

Decide Whether the Reason for Leaving Makes Sense

Each case should be considered individually so that no one is mistakenly categorized as a good or bad candidate. Let the applicant explain his or her reasons in detail, and then decide if they make sense to you. Also, consider whether or not your company will end up posing the same problems as the last one. If it will, expect to get the same response from the applicant.

Also, decide on any reasons you'll consider a "hard no" before the interview starts. This will help you avoid hiring people who won't work out.

Look for quitting patterns from former jobs, not just the one or two before the candidate came to you. This can reveal problems with the applicant that immediate explanations would hide.

Great candidates can have bad luck with former jobs, which can repeatedly happen to the same person. They can end up at companies with bad managers, unacceptable cultures or even have a string of companies go out of business unexpectedly in some industries. Therefore, it is essential to look much deeper than whether someone was a short- or long-term employee before making a hiring decision.