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Strategies on Hiring the Best Candidate – Not Just Someone Who Interviews Well

February 27th, 2015

When the time comes to fill open positions at your company, you must have the best strategies in place to hire the strongest candidates possible for those jobs. You cannot simply hire a job seeker who performs well during the job interview. This can wind-up hurting the company in the end if the employee does not have the skills or experience to be successful in the position. We will discuss the best strategies for hiring the strongest candidate here.

Select the Right Interviewer

As important as it is to schedule job interviews with the best candidates who have applied, you also need to select the right interviewer. For the most part, the direct supervisor of the candidate will conduct the interview. If he or she is not available, the human resources director or designated hiring manager will hold the interview. If you want to choose a recruitment professional from a staffing agency to screen and interview the candidate, make sure he or she will do a good job for your company.

Explain the Company’s Culture

Make sure you explain the company’s culture during all job interviews. This will help the company get a feel for the candidate’s attitude and view towards the culture. If you receive a cold response from the candidate, he or she might not fit in your culture. This is a red flag that should be taken into consideration when making the final decision on who to hire.

Avoid Common Questions

Try to avoid the common interview questions asked by every single company out there. Do not ask where the candidate sees him or herself in five years or what their strengths and weaknesses are. Instead, ask the candidate about the worst job they have ever had, about a time when they need to learn a new skill and how they motivate a co-worker who has failed to perform their job. Try to ask questions that are unexpected. It will help you determine if the candidate will be able to think on their feet while on the job.

Conduct a Second Interview

Do not be afraid to bring your strongest candidates in for a second interview. This is the perfect time to ask a couple of the same questions a second time so you can check the answers for consistency. If the candidate offers up competing answers to identical questions, you might be dealing with someone who loves to tell stories simply to land a job.

Watch the Clock

Do not waste your time on candidates who turn out to be poor, but do not rush them out the door because they will likely tell their friends and other co-workers about how their interview was handled. You do not want to get a bad reputation because a poor candidate complained about how they were treated.

Finding the right candidate for your company can be downright difficult. If you throw some challenges at the candidate and they come away shining, then they are the right person for the job.

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