Have you ever hired someone you really liked, only to discover a few months later that they weren’t performing?
The interview went well. The conversation flowed naturally. You connected with the candidate and thought, “This is someone I’d enjoy working with.”
But after hiring them, reality set in.
Production was low. Goals weren’t being met. And instead of celebrating a great hire, you were managing another performance problem.
What went wrong?
The Difference Between Liking and Selecting
Here’s something every sales leader needs to understand:
Liking someone isn’t the same as selecting the right person.
During interviews, it’s natural to gravitate toward candidates who make us feel comfortable.
We appreciate people who communicate well, share our interests, or seem easy to work with.
Those positive feelings can influence our judgment.
But a great conversation doesn’t necessarily indicate that someone has the characteristics required to succeed in sales.
Liking is emotional. Hiring needs to be intentional.
Why Good Interviews Can Lead to Bad Hires
Many hiring mistakes don’t begin with obviously unqualified candidates.
They begin with conversations that feel right.
A candidate may be personable, confident, and engaging while lacking the discipline, motivation, or personality tendencies needed to consistently prospect, handle rejection, and produce results.
When we focus too heavily on how much we like someone, we risk overlooking those weaknesses.
And the consequences can be expensive:
- Lost sales production
- Additional training and management time
- Missed business opportunities
- Reduced team momentum
- Increased stress for the sales leader
Instead of building a stronger team, you’re spending valuable time addressing problems that a better hiring process might have identified earlier.
Ask a Better Hiring Question
Instead of asking only, “How can I find better candidates?” consider another question:
“Why do I keep liking candidates who aren’t actually a good fit?”
That question changes how you approach interviewing.
It encourages you to examine your own assumptions, recognize emotional bias, and evaluate candidates against the actual requirements of the position.
A structured interview process, combined with appropriate assessments and consistent evaluation criteria, can help you make more informed hiring decisions.
The Bottom Line
Great interviewing serves two purposes.
It helps you attract strong candidates while identifying those who aren’t suited for the position.
The goal isn’t to hire someone simply because you enjoy talking with them.
The goal is to select someone who can consistently perform.
When you move from liking candidates to evaluating them intentionally, you take an important step toward building a high-performing sales team.