The Right Candidate For The Job: Tips For Interviewers

Forbes Human Resources Council

Post Written by the Forbes Human Resources Council

The Forbes Human Resources Council suggest a few guidelines interviewers can use to ensure they choose the right candidate. As an interviewer, your role is like that of a gatekeeper. Your task is to ensure that any job candidate that makes it into the company deserves to be there. Unfortunately, no matter how many questions you ask potential employees during an interview, the image they present may be quite different from who they truly are. So how can recruiters make sure that the person they bring into the company can handle their tasks and be a good fit with the rest of the team? 

  1. Trust Your Instincts

Follow your instincts and use the interview to get to know the person. Too much structure for interviews doesn’t allow for a personal connection and really getting to know someone. The way you do that is to make your interviews conversational and just talk with the candidate. Allow the conversation to unfold. – Diane Strohfus, Betterworks.com

  1. Leverage Reference Checks

As with shopping for a new service, many people rely on reviews to inform their decision-making process. This method can offer value when shopping for new talent as well. References provide a unique perspective on the candidate’s performance from a customer’s point of view. This view is important because it focuses on the candidate’s past results, which is a good predictor for future performance. – Dr. Timothy J. Giardino, BMC Software

  1. Look At Talent And Cultural Fit

Work experience is nice, but talent and cultural fit are critical. How will this candidate relate with their supervisor and their team? How will they manage the expected work schedule and responsibilities? How well do they understand your customer base? Hiring practices should assess employee fit and job competency, and companies need to use their intuition and data analysis to make job decisions. – Courtney Pace, Ph.D., FedEx Employees Credit Assoc.

Forbes Human Resources Council

  1. Give Them A Relevant Task

You will not find a candidate who says, “I suck!” Nor will their references come out and say that. As a result, you have to be creative and dig deeper in your selection process. Our People and Culture team recommends a second interview where the prospective hire can showcase a requirement of the job they will perform. We had our People and Culture Extraordinare facilitate a presentation, and it paid off! – Tish McFadden, Maryland Oncology Hematology

  1. Use Behavioral Assessments

Behavioral assessments are an easy and inexpensive way to give you greater certainty that the right candidate will be successful in the role. Resumes and reference checks may provide information on the skill sets a candidate brings, but the softer side of the equation is often the reason people fail in new roles. – Sherrie Suski, Tricon American Homes

  1. Look Past The Resume

Hiring teams get wrapped up in fancy resumes. Sometimes the best hire had the worst resume. Interviewers should ask questions and pay close attention to the answers. What has this candidate accomplished versus participated in? How do they approach work and collaboration with others? What role do they play on teams? Make offers to candidates that most closely fit the role and your organization. – Jennifer Marszalek, Working Credit NFP

  1. Trust The Process 

Trust that the interview process, including panel interviews, reference checks and talent assessments, worked and provided enough data to triangulate and align on the “most right” candidate. Then, use those insights to create a plan to onboard the candidate and set her up for success from day one. A “good” candidate can become the right candidate through effective onboarding. – Jessica Delorenzo, Kimball Electronics Inc.

  1. Focus On The Future 

I know it sounds strange, but spend less time focusing on past accomplishments. Instead, concentrate the interview on reviewing with the candidate what needs to be achieved in the first year and what in their background they believe gives them the skills and confidence to accomplish the first year goals of the job. – Dustin Finer, Covetrus

Forbes Human Resources Council

  1. Look For Signs Of An Open Mind

If no one stands out at the end of the interview process, take another look at the candidates’ responses to questions that indicate how they would respond to changes and feedback. You always want to choose someone who is open-minded and willing to accept feedback over someone who is experienced but unwilling to admit they can make mistakes or learn new, better ways to do things. – Laura Spawn, Virtual Vocations, Inc.

  1. Use Constraints To Reflect The Real World

Most interviewers are effective at asking behavioral questions. One opportunity is to use progressively difficult questions to evaluate the right candidate. Start with a real-world problem, then introduce constraints like scale, dates, resources, budget or risks. It increases the evidence of the candidate’s thought process and experience, hints at how your company works, and limits canned responses. – Karen Crone, Paycor, Inc.

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