How to Pick the Perfect Candidate for Your Business

Hiring is among the most demanding, high-stakes processes that any company has to deal with, and because a bad hire could put a substantial ding in your revenue, it’s important to make the best choice possible.

With this in mind, consider the following insider tips on how to select the best applicants for your open positions.

Quantify Expectations

Good candidates have done their homework, and they walk into an interview with a set of expectations for the position. Your hiring managers should look to accommodate these promising candidates by laying out the company’s expectations as specifically as possible. One way to do that is to quantify expectations for both the onboarding period and the day-to-day of a fully trained employee.

After the hiring manager has laid out the expectations, they can then ask each candidate how they think they can meet these expectations. Responses can then be used to compare and contrast candidates.

Don’t Rush the Process

There is a big difference between urgent work and important work. Urgent work is usually reactive and a response to some type of breakdown in processes or communication. Important work is proactive and focused on achieving both short-term and long-term planned objectives.

Your hiring process should be framed as important, not urgent. The pressure of getting someone into the position as soon as possible shouldn’t affect candidate evaluation. If it does, it increases the risk of bad hires, and it can significantly increase turnover.

Place a Lot of Focus on Candidate Questions

Too often, interviewers consider a candidate’s questions to be an afterthought, a courtesy that makes the conversation more of a two-way street. However, the candidate’s questions can provide a lot of insight into things like interest, preparation, and critical thinking. When a candidate asks thoughtful, detailed questions, they are very invested in your opportunity and have put the work in to make themselves one of your best candidates.

Help Your Candidates Relax

When the typical candidate walks in for an interview, they have their guard up and are poised to give rehearsed responses. This disposition isn’t particularly useful when it comes to evaluating who a candidate truly is as a person and as a professional.

Helping your candidates to relax is one way for them to drop the pretense and express more of themselves. Consider holding interviews in a more casual setting. Set aside enough time for the interview to allow the candidate to relax and truly engage on a deeper level.

Drill Down on Turnover Statistics

Your company should already be keeping statistics on employee turnover and gathering information from exit interviews. One looking to hire the best candidate, this type of information is invaluable. Drill down on your turnover data to figure out which internal and external factors have the biggest influence on employee turnover and retention.

We Can Help You Find the Perfect Candidates

At Career Concepts, we leverage our knowledge and years of experience to connect our clients to the perfect available candidates for their open position. Please contact us today to find out how we can assist your company in its vital hiring processes.