As a legal staffing agency in Northern California, we understand that assistants and paralegals play a big part in every law firm. They essentially help run the firm by interacting with clients, coordinating and handling some aspects of cases, and managing the office workflow.

As a result, you want to ensure you make the best hiring decisions and only bring on board those who are effective, skilled, and hard working. Otherwise, you’re going to spend your days fixing mistakes and dealing with interoffice conflicts.

So with that said, what are some personalities you should avoid hiring at all costs? Here’s a look at 5 of them:

1. The “Yes” Man/Woman

Despite what you might think, you’re not always right. And you need to surround yourself with people who well tell you the truth, even if it isn’t always pretty. But if you have employees that only tell you what they think you want to hear, then the whole team will suffer as a result.

2. The Complainer

This is the person who sighs loudly or complains every time you ask them to take on a task. They might reply with “that’s not in my job description” or offer up some other snarky comment. Regardless, they will annoy everyone and kill morale in the process.

3. The Diva

While the diva personality is hard to handle, the more unfortunate thing is that oftentimes, they’re really good at what they do. As a result, you feel torn about firing them and losing the skills they posses in the process…but the fact of the matter is that you could drive other employees out the door if you don’t take a stand.

4. The Know It All

This is the individual who likes to one-up people every chance they get. There’s nothing they haven’t done before…and done successfully. And they’re attitude is enough to drive the rest of your employees crazy.

5. The Clock Watcher

While this name says it all in terms of how this employee acts, the end result is that you have someone who is less than committed to their job and the firm.

So how can you avoid hiring these kinds of personalities? Through a variety of techniques.

For instance, when you’re conducting interviews, ask some behavior-based questions, like “tell me about a project where you had to work together with a team” or “tell me about a time you failed on the job and what you learned.” These will help you garner information about how potential employees actually behaved in certain work situations.

In addition, you can have candidates undergo personality testing to determine how well suited they are not only for the job, but also for your firm’s unique culture.

And if you don’t have the time or resources to devote to screening, interviewing, and testing, then outsource your needs to a legal staffing agency in Northern California like Pacific Staffing. We have an entire division – Pacific LegalStaff – dedicated to helping law firms and organizations with legal staffing needs find the legal professionals they need, when they need them. Contact us today to learn more.