How To Select The Most Effective Candidate For Your Organization
It is not easy to hire the right employee. It takes weeks, if not months, to prepare, review applications, interview, and, finally, shortlist the candidates. However, depending upon the position and its importance to the business, you must exercise more caution while interviewing candidates to ensure that you have selected the best candidate.
So, how do you choose the best candidate? If you want to know whether the applicant is suitable for your company or not, there are several ways to do it. Here are some pointers in choosing candidates:
Telephonic interviews
A telephonic interview is possibly the best way to choose a candidate before calling them for a meeting to go through some of the deal breakers—both for you and the prospect. You won’t have to spend time or effort if neither of you is interested. You can ask about the candidate’s talents and skills; inform them about possible duties, remuneration, overall organizational culture, and expectations. Once that’s done, you’ll have more time to put the applicant through their paces during the interview.
Don’t rush through the hiring process
Were you rushing through the hiring process? Just don’t. You might end up choosing a lousy candidate. In many organizations, this has occurred time and time again. Many had to terminate the person within 30 days since they were not a good match for the organization or could not provide results. Take your time to know your candidate before making a hiring decision.
Active listening
You may get a good sense of a candidate’s personality by allowing them to ask their questions. They’ll ask thoughtful questions if they’re well-prepared and enthusiastic about the position. When you’re interviewing someone, who isn’t suited for you, you are most likely to hear generic responses, which is not the best situation. Active listening would help you determine that the applicant is unfamiliar with or has little understanding of the organization. Another possibility is that they aren’t enthusiastic about potential employment. Regardless, active listening will allow the company to choose the desirable candidates.
Ask informative or provocative questions
Choosing the best candidate also depends on formulating and asking well-reasoned queries. The types of inquiries will give you a better idea of what the candidate anticipated, whether they would be a fit or not. Similarly, you can ask the candidates provocative questions to determine their ability to resolve unpleasant situations.
If you want to know what may happen to someone, ask about particular circumstances. Allow them to provide you with a response based on the current scenario. When they brag about their accomplishments, ask them, “why?” The reason for their success is unknown. Why didn’t they succeed? The answers to these probing questions will reveal a person’s genuine character traits, including their capacity for self-improvement via trial and error.
Organizational fit
When it comes to recruiting, many businesses focus only on a candidate’s talents and disregard the company’s culture entirely. When choosing a candidate, it is necessary to confirm if the applicant is compatible with the team. Take the candidates on tour and introduce them to the other members. Observe how the candidates respond to the organizational culture before making any judgments.
Engage the candidates by solving a problem
If you are looking for a means to get a sense of a potential employee’s abilities and evaluate how they might fit into the company, this is a great place to start. Ask the chosen candidates to develop a solution to an issue, whether hypothetical or actual. You may also ask them to work on a specific project and see what they come up with in planning and execution.
Throw them off their game
Regardless of how scared an applicant may appear, interview rooms tend to be predictable and help the candidates feel at ease. Change the interview venue; conduct a group interview to gauge their confidence, or ask them to analyze the organization. Your team members will benefit from seeing how the new hire fits in with their colleagues. Be unconventional when choosing the candidate.
See Also: How To Successfully Recruit For On-Site Niche Roles?
Inquire about what is important to them
Choosing a candidate who is not passionate about some cause is not a good fit. So, inquiring about what is important to them is one of the better methods available to sort out dedicated candidates from the non-serious ones. Candidates often practice interviews, and you will not see much emotion in their demeanor. You may get a solid idea of their character by asking them about a subject that’s close to their heart. Is there anything they’re collecting? Painting? Are you an accomplished musician? Learn more about the individual by listening to what they say about their passions.
Provide feedback
Most candidates are not concerned about their behaviors outside of the interview room. They let their guards down. As a result, it’s possible that they were abrasive and condescending or that they were kind and helpful to others. The front desk staff, janitorial staff, and security guards could be a good source of information about the candidates’ behaviors.
Independent or a team player
Before you choose the candidate, find out as much as possible about a candidate’s performance philosophy. For starters, have a look at their background. Were they a leader or a member of a team? How well did they do it? Examine their interactions with your teams to see how well they mesh. An individual who can’t work with others because they are too “unique” or a brat who only cares about their interests is the last thing you need. The individual in question must be a model member of the group, always willing to provide a hand and contribute to the group’s success as a whole.
Growth mindset
When choosing the right candidate, make sure they have a growth mindset. A growth mentality in all workers will only help your business expand. Most organizations don’t consider this as crucial as some other factors. Check to see whether they are committed to lifelong learning and self-improvement. Ask whether they have just mastered a new skill or made a significant life shift when interviewing someone.
Integrity
Working with someone for a prolonged period is a terrific opportunity to know the chosen candidate better and see how well you get along. Many people dislike the idea of owning up to their faults, yet it happens, and we grow as a result. On the other hand, some individuals will never confess to making a mistake, and you should avoid them. They will continuously blame others for their failures, not learning from them.
Positive attitude
Candidates with a negative mindset are the last thing a group needs, but everyone finds a positive attitude gravitating. Moreover, no one would want to work with someone who is not a good communicator or unable to express themselves. While choosing a candidate, if they are not displaying a healthy positive attitude, you may want to rethink employing them as a member of your team.
Psychological testing or questioning to better understand their personality
I am a big fan of taking psychological tests because they weed out the weakest candidates and help in choosing the ideal candidate. Ask the candidates foolish questions that will help you get to know them better. For example, you may ask whether they like cats or dogs, their favorite music, or anything else. How do you approach someone outside of work? Put them through psychological tests to see how they react to certain situations.
As an employer, you may have a more challenging time finding the perfect person to join your team since they may not have the right talents or the right mentality. This employee’s worth to your firm is significantly more than the effort it requires to get them on board. Use these strategies to help you choose the right person for the job.