It’s not always easy to know what to look for when hiring your next employee. The interview process can be arduous and sometimes confusing. Often, there are two top talents who you are deciding between in the end. So, when it comes down to it, what should make a candidate more eligible than another for a role?
Promotion from within an organization - Does their resume show that they are promoted from within, or are they jumping from company-to-company to climb the corporate ladder?
Easily provides examples of accomplishments - Hire the person who can effortlessly give concrete examples of past ‘wins’ (throughout their resume and their interview process).
We Vs. Me Mentality - Look out for language that speaks about teamwork and collaboration rather than self-focused statements. A ‘we mentality’ shows greater leadership than simply talking about ones’ own contributions.
Well-rounded personality - People that have clear interests outside of work are generally more likely to be fulfilled.
Entrepreneurial exposure - Someone who has worked in a family business, a start-up, or attempted to build their own business, has a core grasp of what it takes to get a job done and will likely be less afraid to roll-up their sleeves, or do the extra work, to get a project done on time.
Proactive - Do they wait to be told or are they someone who has a history of implementing new processes or ‘managing-up’ in order to further efficiency and effectivity in their role?
EQ - Emotional intelligence. Two words that speak volumes. No matter where you’re hiring, or what role you’re hiring for, a candidates’ emotional intelligence speaks volumes about their ability to work collaboratively and lead effectively.
Red Flags: Do they get defensive when probed on their responses? Do they show any contempt for previous employers? Hiring someone with a positive demeanour and humble work ethic is always the best decision. Work relationships, like any, usually go both ways. If someone is showing disregard for a previous employer, this attitude likely seeps into all relationships in their lives.
Articulation - Do they speak clearly? Are they well read? Do you feel they are easy to talk to? If not, you may want to consider how they would represent your brand or lead your teams.
Accountability - Hire the candidate that can easily admit a past fail or mistake and explain what they learned from it. Everyone makes mistakes. If the potential hire believes they have never made any….you need to consider how much actual career growth they have done over the years and what they will be like to work within the long-run.
Aptitude - Does this person seem like they have a natural ability, personailty-wise, to tackle this job head-on? What does your gut instinct tell you? More often than not, our gut instinct should not be ignored. Hiring is a two way street, it has to work for the candidate in the long-run too. It’s more likely to work if the role and company culture seem organically aligned with the candidate’s personality.
Skills - Last, but not least, it goes without saying that a candidate needs to have the key skills you ask for in fulfillment of the role. However, like we mentioned earlier, if everything is right about the potential hire except a few easily-learned skills, then you should still consider taking them on. Hire based on overall fit, if you’re looking for a long term hire, and train on skills they don’t yet have.
*When in doubt, get a second opinion.