It’s decision time. You’ve completed the interview process and now it’s time for you to pick the best fit for your business. However, this can be easier said than done due to the fact that a new hire is a big investment for a business. As a result, you may well be feeling the pressure to choose wisely, but there are lots of factors to take into consideration. Firstly, which candidate has the most relevant skills and experience needed to excel in the position? Secondly, who performed the best in the interview demonstrating confidence, tenacity and curiosity? Finally, and often most importantly, who do you believe would be the best team fit? All of these considerations can leave you feeling a little overwhelmed. Therefore, we have put together our top tips on how you can ensure you pick the best fit for your business time and time again.
Before we discuss how to pick the best candidate, we’ll begin by looking how to shortlist them. There are several tricks you can have up your sleeve during the interview process that will help make your final decision easier. Lucky for you, we’re giving them out for free!
Use the initial interview to pre-screen.
To prevent wasting time by interviewing completely unsuitable candidates, use a phone interview to pre-screen. Discuss things like what their duties will be, what the company culture is like, their salary expectations, previous experiences and education. By the end of the conversation, you should have a good idea as to whether they’re worth an interview. This is an easy and cost-effective method to narrow down on the perfect candidate.
Quantify deliverables during the interview.
There is no point beating around the bush in an interview. The candidate could be the nicest person in the world, but if they’re not right for the job, doing so will be wasting both of your time. Therefore, a great way of understanding quickly if they’re right for the job would be to create a list of deliverables. What would you expect them to achieve at the 30-, 60- and 90-day mark? You can then ask the candidate how they would achieve these, allowing you to assess their skills and competency levels. Moreover, you will be able to establish if they’re of a high enough calibre to meet the needs of your business.
Pay attention to the candidate’s question.
A candidate’s questions can often give you a clear understanding as to whether or not they should make the cut. It seems like an obvious thing to do, but have they researched your company prior to the interview? Have they searched the LinkedIn profiles of the people within the team they’ll be working in? Can they tell you a little bit about your company’s history and culture? If they can, it is a good indication that they have an authentic and genuine desire to join your company. If a candidate’s personal values align with your culture, the sky is the limit for their potential, everything else can be taught.
Use the past to plan the future.
What are the reasons for turnover in your business? What is the average tenure of your hires? Where have you been sourcing your candidates from? Who has managed this position? Once you have established all of these things, you can use it to understand if you have internal factors, external factors or a combination of both that needs to be addressed before you begin the hiring process. As a result, you will be able to eliminate the cycle of hire, turnover, hire.
Let the candidate be themselves!
You’re interviewing a candidate who, on paper, is perfect! Happy days! Unfortunately, it’s not that simple when it comes to hiring the best fit for your business. It’s imperative that you use the interview to determine how much of a cultural fit the candidate is. The best way to do this it to make the experience fun. It’s ok to have a laugh you know! If the candidate is comfortable, they’re much more likely to be themselves.
Here are some questions that will help assess culture fit in an interview:
- What type of culture do you thrive in? (Does the response reflect your organisational culture?)
- What values are you drawn to and what’s your ideal workplace?
- How would you describe our culture based on what you’ve seen? Is this something that works for you?
- Tell me about a time when you worked with/for an organization where you felt you were not a strong culture fit. Why was it a bad fit?
- What best practices would you bring with you from another organisation? Do you see yourself being able to implement these best practices in our environment?
Now you have the tools to shortlist the best candidates, you need to know how to pick number one!
For many employers, this decision can be as simple as night and day. However, you may well find yourself in the enviable position of choosing between two outstanding candidates. But what should you do when you’ve hit the hiring jackpot? Two candidates, both with standout CVs, they’ve shone in the interview and you really can’t decide who to hire. Although many may feel that this is a wonderful problem to have, you probably feel paralyzed by the thought of making the wrong choice. You want to take your time, but you risk losing the candidates, so what should you do? Here is our advice…
Who is the best cultural fit?
A good method for making this decision is to introduce the candidate to the team. You spend more time with your work colleagues then you do with your friends and family, so it’s vital that they like the team and the team likes them. You may also feel more confident about making the decision when you’ve got the opinion of others.
Who do you see in your business’s future?
You’re more than likely seeking to hire a candidate in order to meet the current needs of your business. However, please don’t ignore the future. Who has the biggest growth potential? Who will work to support the business’s goals and objectives? Who has demonstrated higher levels of leadership potential? Does either of the candidates have knowledge or experience that isn’t necessary for the role, but will help the business grow and add value over time?
Who is the most interested and enthusiastic?
This could be the tie breaker when the race is so close! Looking back, who do you feel was more engaged? Who asked the most questions, had done the most research and was the hungriest for the job? Did one of them send you a thank you email? Most importantly, what is your gut feeling telling you? The answer to these questions could well be what you need to make your decision!
Keep in touch!
Once you have used the above criteria to make your decision, don’t just forget about the unsuccessful candidate. It’s a brilliant idea to connect with that individual on LinkedIn and check in on them once in a while. You could even pass on updates about the company and ask them how they’re getting on in their career. You really don’t know when your next hiring need will arise.
Hopefully with our tips you feel like you are in a better position to make the best decision for your business. However, you should never underestimate your gut instinct. With our tips and your instinct, you can’t go far wrong!
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