4 Job Candidates You Should Never Hire

Making a bad hire is a serious matter in the business world. When you choose the wrong person for the job, it can affect productivity and cost your company money. It's important to interview every applicant closely and check references to avoid employing someone who's not right for your company. Here are four job candidates you should never hire:

1. The Know-It All
It is never a good idea to hire candidates who seem to think they know it all. Nancy Collamer, a career coach and author of "Second-Act Careers: 50+ Ways to Profit From Your Passions During Semi-Retirement," said in Forbes that these types of workers ignore everyone else's opinions, take over conversations and make decisions without thoroughly thinking things through.

"A 'my way or the highway' attitude often leads to unhappy co-workers, disgruntled clients and an unhappy work environment.," Collamer explained to Forbes.

2. The Complainer
Constant complainers are not something you want to deal with as a business owner. These types of workers whine about everything from not getting enough vacation time to working too many hours. They will put everyone in the office in a terrible mood and bring morale down. During interviews, listen carefully to what candidates say about their previous jobs. If applicants just talk about how bad they had it and don't bring up anything positive, they probably aren't worth hiring.

3. The Yes–Man
Hiring people who always nod their head in agreement and never argue might seem like a great idea, but it can actually hinder your business. Barry Moltz, motivational speaker and author of "How To Get Unstuck: 25 Ways to Get Your Business Growing Again," said in Open Forum that yes​-men don't tell the truth and never take responsibility for their actions.

"Since they never risk their own original ideas for fear of looking bad, they always place blame in the event of failure on others," Moltz explained in Open Forum. "They point fingers at everyone around them, blaming someone's bad idea or poor execution."

4. The Minimalist
While you don't want job candidates to go off on tangents and talk forever during interviews, you want them to give you more than one-word answers. If an applicant answers each question with as few words as possible, it could indicate he or she didn't do much research on your company and may do the bare minimum to get by if hired.