Interviewing candidates is never easy, especially if it is something that you’ve not done before, or the role you’re looking to fill is a new one.
With that in mind, however, here are some great tips and suggestions for hiring the ideal employee for your company.
Use a checklist of attributes during the hiring process
The best way to find out what you really want from a prospective employee is to actually define what attributes you desire with a thorough checklist.
Although this process might sound a little automated, by using a checklist, you can easily compare and contrast between candidates and the skills you require for the role.
Consider why you need someone to fill the role, how they will fit within your team, whether you will need to retrain the candidate, or how you plan to structure the interviews.
Check for social compatibility
Every new employee needs to fit within a company’s culture, so check whether a candidate has the appropriate social skills for teamwork and to get along with others.
You can test this quite simply by asking how they are currently managing in their current role or how they interact with clients or customers.
How they answer will give you an insight into how they interact with people on a daily basis.
You can also find out how candidates interact with people by introducing them to select team members or even by taking them out for coffee or lunch.
It’s also worth not putting too much emphasis on social fit, however, as inclusivity is always great, and people are always able to adapt to new surroundings and environments.
Search for someone that is willing to commit
Although there is sometimes debate about whether regular job movement is a good or bad thing, generally it is considered a red flag if people regularly move between companies.
Of course, this can sometimes be a good thing, for instance, if they are moving up the career ladder, but if you find candidates that constantly move between similar roles, this might be an indication that they are regularly unsettled.
It could also indicate that they are always on the search for a higher salary, which means that their loyalty and commitment is questionable.
Ask questions that matter
Asking vague questions such as “are you reliable” can only waste time and provide you with vague and standard issue answers (what candidate would say no?).
Instead, ask direct questions about situations that they might have to deal with on a day-today basis, or ask a question relating to a real issue the company currently faces and ask them how they would go about solving it.
If you’re unsure of what kind of direct question to ask, go back over your desired candidate attributes and consider what questions to ask around individual skills or requirements.
It is sometimes also worth telling candidates what kind of questions you might ask, which can be helpful if the answers need to be technical in nature.
This can also help lower both the stress levels of candidates and interviewers throughout the meeting.
If you want to know more about how Postify can help you find the ideal candidate, check out our contact page to get in touch with one of our experts.
