On job interviews for team lead and higher positions, there are questions raising almost all the times:

Have you ever had to deal with a difficult team member? How did you handle the situation? Can you describe a time when you had to make a tough decision? How did you weigh the pros and cons, and what was the outcome?

As a manager, hiring the right candidate for your team is crucial. However, sometimes, despite our best efforts, we may end up with a less-than-ideal team member. In this article, I will share my experience of hiring a frontend Qt/C++ developer and the valuable lessons I learned about the importance of thorough interviewing and probation periods.

The Search for a Qt/C++ Developer

Our team was struggling to fill a specific position that required a mix of frontend and C++ skills. We needed someone who could bridge the gap between UI and backend, while also being interested in automotive software development. After months of interviewing, we finally found a candidate who had a solid understanding of C++ syntax but lacked experience in data structures and algorithms.

The Warning Signs

During the interview process, there were some red flags that should have been investigated further. The candidate’s CV included questionable roles such as project manager and acting CEO. Unfortunately, we were so focused on his C++ expertise that we didn’t explore these inconsistencies.

The Turning Point

Once the candidate received a written offer, I began to question my decision. His response was a lengthy, unstructured, and unnecessary letter of gratitude, which should have been another warning sign.

My manager told me, he will be my responsibility and thus my problem. If I back off, he will understand. Nevertheless, I was happy to finally fill the position and decided to proceed with the hire.

The Challenges

Our new hire’s communication and soft skills were severely lacking. He struggled to convey information effectively and had difficulty adapting to his audience. We attempted to mentor him: I asked him to write down his thoughts for himself before sending an email or attending a meeting. He had to read those points carefully, over and over several times, structure the information, remove duplicates. We’ve set up time and length constraints for his speech and emails. I helped him by reviewing some of these pieces, giving him hints what to remove, what to clarify.

We made some progress, but other issues soon surfaced. He began to express dissatisfaction with his tasks, missed deadlines, and clashed with his colleagues. The End of the Road

In a last-ditch effort to find a suitable role for him, we assigned him a complex OpenGL rendering algorithm task, similar to his previous work as a game developer. However, he failed to make any meaningful progress after two weeks. This ultimately led us to offer a mutual agreement to terminate his contract, which he accepted. Fun fact

As thinking about this situation, I’ve checked the guy’s LinkedIn page. Despite being hired and failed as a junior C++ software engineer, he listed this position as a mid-lead software engineer. He claims accomplishments of others in his team as his own. I wonder if he truly believes this to be true, or his underdeveloped soft skills make him think that lying about his accomplishments could help him land in another job. Well, it helped him to fool me, so who knows?

Lessons Learned

• Thoroughly validate candidates’ CVs during interviews. It is crucial to ask cross-reference questions about past positions to uncover potential personality or competency issues.

• Be mindful of potential negative impacts on the team. This experience taught us that a single person’s poor performance can create a stressful atmosphere and consume valuable time and resources.

• Take probation periods seriously. We should have terminated the contract during the probation period, rather than trying to solve the employee’s problems for him.

Conclusion

Hiring the right candidate is essential for a successful team, and my experience taught me valuable lessons in the hiring process. By thoroughly examining a candidate’s CV, taking probation periods seriously, and being mindful of potential negative impacts on the team, managers can avoid similar pitfalls and ensure a harmonious working environment.