8 WAYS TO ENSURE YOU

HIRE THE BEST CANDIDAT E

by Brenda Savoie
Hiring Talent, Recruiter Tips, Recruitment, Select - 3 years ago

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Brenda Savoie – Content Marketer and Internal

Communication Manager at Essayontime UK. Her opinions are her own.

In today’s economy, there is no shortage of candidates for just about any position and it

would appear that employers can find the best candidate for the job in no time.

However, it is not as simple as it looks. There is always the possibility that you will end

hiring the wrong person, which can trigger a whole series of negative consequences.

The wrong person can turn out to be lazy and unmotivated, unqualified, or they can

influence the atmosphere in the workplace (in a bad way!).

You spend time training them, and then you wind up looking for another candidate and

trying to get them to fit in, which will cost your company a lot of money.
An impressive list of qualifications and extensive work experience are certainly

necessary, but these are not the only things you should factor in when recruiting

potential employees. Making sure that they are also in tune with the culture of your

organization and its goals is also crucial.

Here are 8 ways you can improve your recruitment process and hire the best candidate

every time.

1.  LOOK FOR A CA R E E R -ORI E N T E D

PER SON
One of the more subtle aspects you need to consider when hiring a new employee is

their commitment towards developing their own career and growing as a professional. If

you have a candidate who is trying to juggle multiple careers, or who has been quick to

jump ship and work for several companies in the past without decent tenure (or without

valid reasons), then maybe you shouldn’t hire them.

You want an employee who is going to be loyal to the company, and who will view

your job as an opportunity to advance their career and be an asset to the company at

the same time. If their job history is checkered, you should proceed to look at other

candidates.

2. A SSESS FO R P R A C TIC A L EX P ER IEN C E

Ideally, you should hire a candidate who is both qualified and experienced in your line of

work. However, more often than not, you will not come across a perfect candidate.
Focusing on the practical experience of your potential employee is key because they

will be able to integrate themselves more quickly and become familiar with the job.

You also save time and money when it comes to their training. If a candidate doesn’t

have the required practical experience you are looking for, they will need more time to fit

in and learn all the nuances of the job. Of course, every new employee needs to go

through an adjustment period, but you want to keep that period as short as possible.

3. TEST Y OU R C AN D IDA TES

One of the ways you can improve your recruitment process would be to implement

various methodologies that can provide you with a much clearer picture as far as

learning abilities and analytical skills of the candidate are concerned. It goes deeper

than looking at a person’s resume and making a decision based on that alone.

Even if their resume is impressive, and they come off as confident during the interview,

it is up to you as an employer to test potential employees, because they might not have

been completely truthful on their resume. Also, you will gain a better insight into how

resourceful they are when presented with a new challenge.

4. D ETERMIN E S TR EN G THS N EED ED

FO R TH E POSITIO N
Let’s face it, most jobs nowadays are stressful to a certain extent. If you run an IT

company, for instance, you should also look for candidates who, in addition to their
qualifications, have the necessary mental and psychological strength to cope with

pressure, tight deadlines, and complex client demands.

If you are hiring someone to do a job which is repetitive in its nature, you will need to

determine whether the candidate will need to be able to stay motivated, even if they are

required to perform the same actions over and over again. If an employee is going to

burn out quickly under stress, despite having a brilliant CV, then they are probably not a

good fit for the job.

5. CO N SID ER CU LTU R E FIT

Another important thing to consider when hiring a candidate is their ability to fit in and

adapt to your company’s culture. This means their social skills need to be developed

enough, so they don’t disrupt the positive atmosphere in the office. Ideally, they should

only add to it. Since nearly every job involves working with other people, as well as

communicating with clients, you’re going to want to hire a person with strong social

skills.

Check their work history and through your interview questions make sure they aren’t

prone to conflicts in the workplace. Then if possible, find out how they got along with

their former colleagues and bosses when you conduct reference checks. That should

help you paint a complete picture of every candidate you interview.

6. K EEP IMPRO V IN G Y OU R H IR IN G
PRO CESS
Potential candidates are not the only thing you should focus on if you want to hire the

best person for the job. You need to work on your recruitment process and make

constant changes and tweaks to it until you get it right. For instance, some companies

have their recruiters asking magic bullet questions, whose purpose is to catch the

candidates off guard and test their analytical skills.

A more efficient method would be to focus on obtaining relevant information about your

potential employees, such as their qualifications, knowledge, experience, social skills,

as well as their ability to learn and develop. Also, it is up to you to attract the right

candidates by making all of the job requirements as clear as possible. Another good

idea would be to get other people involved in the hiring process.

7. CO N SID ER BR ING IN G O N AN IN TER N

Depending on the size of your company, you may want to engage an intern as an

interim solution. This is one of the best ways to find the best candidate for the job. After

monitoring their progress, you will know everything about them: their intelligence, skills,

ability to cope with stress, social skills, and weaknesses. In fact, you will get to know

them much better than any candidates you just interview.

And if you do decide to hire interns, don’t just have them run errands for you. Give them

some actual work, so that you can gauge their abilities and prepare them for actual

work, in case you decide to hire them. Plus, you will save plenty of time by hiring

someone you already have in your company, instead of going through an extensive

hiring process.
8. RU N SO CIA L C H EC K S
While it pays to get to know your potential employee as a person, asking personal

question is not the best solution, because they may feel uncomfortable (not to mention

the fact that it may be deemed as anti-discriminatory). However, what you can do

is check out their social media presence across all major platforms.

Visiting someone’s Facebook or Instagram page will help you learn more about the

candidate, and their LinkedIn profile may offer a better insight into their skills and

experience than their resume. In addition to that, LinkedIn can also be a great place to

find new employees, and invite them for a job interview.

As you can see, finding the best possible candidate is a complex and time-consuming

process, but it’s well-worth the trouble and something which will pay dividends in the

future. The right candidate is definitely out there.

RELATED POSTS:

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The Dos and Don’ts of Personality Testing

7 Ways to Engage Top Talent

5 Reasons Why Your Business Ends Up with the Wrong Employees

Hiring In-House or Outsourcing: Which Is Right for You?

My 10 Most Memorable Candidate Interview Moments

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