12 tips to ensure you\u2019re hiring the right candidate during the hiring process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before they onboard new employees, hiring managers spend tons of time sorting through job applications and resumes, searching for suitable candidates to interview. Depending on your industry, you may also need to review sample work or portfolios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s clear that a lot goes into the hiring decisions you make. Factors that inform hiring decisions include how candidates answer interview questions, their current skill set and their personality and cultural fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the biggest fear during the interview process is that you\u2019re going to choose the wrong person, they won\u2019t mesh well with the job\u2019s responsibilities and your organisation, and you\u2019ll be back to square one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To make sure you avoid this, we\u2019ve outlined our 12 tips below to show you how to hire the right person<\/a> for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the interview process with a potential candidate, it\u2019s important to gain a high-level understanding of their ultimate goals and aspirations. These questions will help you discover whether their professional aspirations match your open role and business objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These questions will also help you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Often, a candidate won\u2019t refer to career goals if they\u2019re not related to the role they\u2019re applying for. So, ask targeted interview questions to determine their goals and how they intend to achieve them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember, careers are not linear. The professional aspirations of your ideal candidate may not seem relevant to their experience or studies at first, but don\u2019t see it as a red flag. Instead, try learning more about their motivation. Often, employees with mixed work and academic backgrounds are standout individuals who are adaptive, curious and risk-takers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The resume is the go-to reference point for most hiring managers during the recruitment and selection process. The usually succinct summary of the candidate\u2019s attributes and qualities is a yardstick for measuring an individual\u2019s fit for your open position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, a person\u2019s resume or CV is not always the best way to measure the suitability of the right employee. Focusing too much on resumes is a risky move that may lead to poor hiring decisions, and you\u2019ll miss out on some excellent team members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, consider that not all candidates have the language or soft skills to create an engaging and carefully worded resume. This can cloud your judgment, even when you have a suitable candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, focus on a holistic approach when recruiting and selecting to boost the chances of making the right hire the first time. This approach will save you valuable time and resources. While experience is critical, so is their overall work ethic and commitment, which you often can\u2019t glean from a resume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One handy tip is to check out their cover letter. Cover letters often provide insight into how a candidate pictures themselves in your company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No one person should handle the hiring process\u2014get your entire team involved to avoid unconscious bias and source a range of perspectives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Collaborative hiring or recruitment is a method that structures the recruitment process<\/a> to get team members and colleagues to assist in your hiring process. The multi-stage job interview process allows potential employees to meet most of the team they\u2019ll be working with and some other colleagues. This process lets candidates decide if they mesh well with the current team and the company culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Collaborative recruitment takes on different forms in each workplace because of differing team dynamic. As you dig into how to hire good people, collaborative recruitment brings several benefits to your process, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another excellent indicator of whether you\u2019re hiring the right person is determining if they\u2019re a good cultural fit for your business. Are they passionate about the same things? What drives their work ethic?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every business boasts its own unique identity and culture. Employees who don\u2019t embody the company culture can harm workplace morale and productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One way of assessing cultural fit and work ethic is by asking the right questions during the interview. Unfortunately, most potential employees already know what you\u2019re looking for. Therefore, they draft answers to fit your questions and get the position\u2014even if they’re not the best fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prevent this from happening by asking out-of-the-box questions. While difficult to implement, here are a few ideas to help you come up with interview questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n These questions will help gauge the candidate\u2019s perception of your work environment and current employees. Make sure the questions are not discriminatory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hiring managers and talent acquisition professionals can also tell if a candidate is a good fit by evaluating the questions they ask during an interview. The right candidate should ask thoughtful questions during the interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These questions show the candidate\u2019s engagement and preparedness. View the job interview process as a dialogue, rather than a question-and-answer session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The right person for a new job opening cares about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take mental notes of the questions candidates are asking. Watch out for questions such as \u201cWhen do we get paid?\u201d \u201cWhat are your working hours?\u201d and \u201cWhat are our off hours?\u201d These questions show the candidate is most interested in the paycheck and not the big picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interviews can feel staged, and candidates are likely to be prepared for that. If you want to evaluate their interpersonal skills, take them outside of the meeting room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, take the candidate out for a coffee break or lunch. A visit to a restaurant or cafe will reveal many clues about the individual. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Watch how considerate the candidate is to others, such as how polite they are to servers and others and whether the candidate gets flustered or irritated by issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking a candidate outside the work environment also helps your interview to stand out in your candidate\u2019s mind if they\u2019re interviewing for multiple roles at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reading a job description often informs a candidate\u2019s first impression of the role they\u2019re applying for, so you want to ensure transparency about the job expectations and responsibilities. Having a well-written and comprehensive job description<\/a> will attract qualified candidates who see themselves in the role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When done correctly, job descriptions can do wonders for the recruitment process. However, make sure the description aligns with your business\u2019 overall goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the candidate starts, they\u2019ll probably go through a probationary period, so job descriptions can help your management team determine critical Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for job evaluations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A well-crafted job description also helps protect employers and employees against legal risk by ensuring their expectations are aligned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider carrying out thorough reference checks (especially for higher-level positions) and utilise an automated background screening tool (we integrate with heaps of tools that offer easy background and reference checks!<\/a>). These checks are a critical part of learning how to hire the right person every time by doing your due diligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way to find out how someone acts in the workplace is to talk to their previous managers and co-workers. These sources can provide extra information on the work ethic, personal skills and qualifications that a candidate may not add to their resume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finding the right candidate<\/a> starts with your pool of applicants. Finding the perfect fit is unlikely if you can\u2019t attract qualified candidates to your job postings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fortunately, an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)<\/a> can automate your hiring process. An ATS is a centralised database for all information regarding sourcing and tracking your candidates, allowing you to organise and analyse many applicants at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An ATS is with you from the moment a candidate applies to their first day in your company, automating scanning resumes, communications, scheduling interviews and a whole bunch of other manual admin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An ATS will also allow you to store data on applicants, utilise AI and skill matching<\/a> to discover candidates already in your talent pool, optimise hiring data and referrals, and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We already discussed how reference checks are important when hiring the right candidate, but they can be unreliable at times. One way to ensure you\u2019re getting quality candidates is to ask for candidate referrals from your current employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employee referrals can help your business find qualified individuals to fill up a vacant position. The strategy works by asking your existing employees to recommend candidates from their network they think are a good fit for the job. These are potential employees who may not have seen the job openings for your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The employee referral program can benefit your business in several ways, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asking the right interview questions<\/a> is also key to finding the right candidate. While it\u2019s okay to ask generic questions like, \u201cWhat do you know about our company?\u201d and \u201cWhy are you the best candidate for the position?\u201d you should aim to dig deeper than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prepare thoroughly for the interview. You should ask questions to help you determine the candidate\u2019s interest in your company and job. The questions should also enlighten you about their career plans and work history. Remember to ask questions that will shed light on their work habits and values and reveal their weaknesses, strengths, skills and knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, the primary goal of the interview is to see if they are a good fit for the company culture too. Asking behavioural questions such as, \u201cWhat is an example of a workplace challenge you\u2019ve faced?\u201d provides much more value and insight to the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You also need to include other interview questions to help you dig deeper, such as open-ended and close-ended interview questions. Once you establish a baseline of who the candidate is and why they want to work for you, get to know their work ethic and what type of work environment they thrive in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last on this list of hiring tips is your gut. An important part of being a hiring manager or recruiter is being confident in your decisions and trusting your instincts. If you have doubts about an applicant, find the \u201cwhy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everything might seem alright on the surface, but you have doubts. Don\u2019t ignore them. The nagging suspicion you get during the interview about a candidate’s attitude will magnify after they\u2019re on the payroll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hiring process takes up a lot of time and effort, but there\u2019s a way to streamline your efforts to save time and fill roles quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n JobAdder\u2019s Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can help streamline your recruitment process, from candidate sourcing to talent pooling, skill matching, communications, interview scheduling, background checking and much more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out more about how the JobAdder ATS can help hiring managers save time and money with a more efficient hiring process by signing up for a free demo now<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n1. Understand their career goals and aspirations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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2. Don\u2019t rely on just their resume or CV<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Collaborate with your team when making hiring decisions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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4. Make sure they\u2019re a good cultural fit for your company<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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5. Pay attention to the questions they ask during an interview<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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6. Get out of the office<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
7. Be clear about job expectations and responsibilities in the job description<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
8. Conduct thorough reference checks or background screening<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
9. Use an Applicant Tracking System<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
10. Ask for referrals from your current employees<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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11. Ask the right interview questions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
12. Trust your instincts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Find the right candidate for your open jobs with JobAdder<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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