Factors to Consider When Selecting Candidates

Finding the right fit for your team can take a lot of work and effort. To ensure that you make the right choice of candidate, several factors should be considered, sometimes going beyond the selection of the obvious.  Taking the time to pre-select your candidates should be an important part of your recruitment process. The question is what criteria you use to shortlist your candidates.

There are a number of ways to sort out your candidate list.  For some it may be "gut feeling" after an interview, for others it may be lack of or too much experience (is that really bad?).  However, there are some core criteria that you should apply when selecting a candidate over others.  

Here are five factors you should consider when guiding candidates through your hiring or selection process:

5 factors to consider when selecting candidates

Qualification - one of the easiest ways to screen candidates is through their skills. Can they get the job done and can they do it efficiently?  Skills can be easily measured by the facts you have (CV, cover letter and interview). It's true that some tend to fabricate or "stretch" their experience, so a solid approach to validating skills is to contact previous employers and verify that the skills they teach are consistent with what the previous employer(s) saw.  If the candidate lacks experience, he/she should naturally communicate and express the desire to learn and refresh these skills.

Personality - depending on the culture of your organization you will be looking for a certain fit. You will want to make sure that the successful candidate fits you and is a team player.  Or perhaps you are looking for leadership skills, so you may want to ask questions at the interview to learn more about the candidate's personality and whether he or she can be a long-term candidate for your team.

Desire - although you may not be looking for a candidate who is a little too passionate (if you know what we mean), desire alone can sometimes help you overlook a candidate's lack of skills. Drive and passion can help people to be as successful as skills and experience. Many people have a strong desire to be successful, but do not necessarily have the skills to do so. The opposite can also be true when a lack of desire can have a negative effect even on the most capable individuals. When selecting applicants, you should check whether the drive your potential new employee displays meets your requirements or expectations.

Hiring - this can be a simple red flag. It's one thing to be passionate and energetic, but if the candidate shows an arrogant or overconfident attitude, you may want to reconsider whether he or she is a good fit for you.  If, on the other hand, the candidate lacks self-confidence or seems too much of a "free spirit", you should determine whether this is due to nervousness during the interview and whether the candidate is serious about joining your organization. Focus on the job description of the position and on where and with whom the candidate will interact regularly.  Of course you will want candidates with a positive "can do" attitude, but sometimes it takes a little time for people to come out of themselves.

Communicate clear expectations - Too often people are only hired to fill the advertised position. Every time your organization is in recruitment or hiring mode, you have the opportunity to rethink what the position looks like and what it should be like.  Having a clearly defined job description and communicating it during the interview is a good way to determine if the candidate really fits your organization.  If you communicate clear expectations, you and the candidate can decide whether or not there is a match.  

Consider things like:

• Are you looking for a short-term commitment versus a long-term one?
• Is the position what the client is looking for?
• Does the candidate understand the role and responsibilities?

A recruitment agency like Aspire can help you pre-select your candidates, but you still have to make the final decision between the last options.  Based on the above factors, you can determine who might be the best fit for your team.  Keep in mind that the best suitability can mean immediate relief or long-term suitability.  Strategically select the candidates who tick most of your boxes, who have the most potential and who can have a direct impact on your organization, your team and ultimately your bottom line.

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