Over time, operating a business can become too overwhelming for any business owner to manage with a shortage of skilled workers. An experienced leader will have to find and retain the services of the best candidates who can help turn the business’s future goals into a reality.

Top tips for recruiting your best candidate:

Assess the candidate during job interview 

Assess the information gathered during the job interview properly, for all candidates. During the job interview, try not to miss anything in your note-taking. Make sure that you record everything, you will have time to sort it all out afterwards.

Be sure that the notes are what was said, rather than your own judgements. Assess the entire interview thoroughly for proof of the skills you need to find. Group the answers into constructive or unfavourable demonstrations of the skill in question. Aim to identify the candidate’s attitudes that might carry over to the job role if you were to employ them. 

Getting along with co-workers 

Find out if the candidate can get along with his or her prospective co-workers, and more notably, can the individual get along with current and prospective clients? An essential characteristic to keep in mind is the person’s enthusiasm and capability to work in harmony with you or with other people at the top. If new staff are not able to do this, you will have problems.

Enthusiasm to succeed 

Aim to look for a candidate’s ability to support their colleagues and to understand others’ duties, therefore helping them to be better workers. You should aim to establish an objective overview of the candidate’s expertise, career plans and desire to succeed at the earliest opportunity.

Asking great questions 

Applicants going to any job interview will need to research the company and the position. The best candidate should be able to tell you what they know about the company and its projects. Are they capable of paying attention, analysing and enquiring about issues at the heart of your business? Great interview questions from your applicant can let you know a great deal about how they think and if they are able to identify any market problem as it is happening, and even display some know-how as to finding a solution.

Go through the résumé thoroughly 

Take a good look at the way the résumé is put together. Does it use a professional visual appeal? Are the details and additional information well written and easy to read? Does it start with a well-defined overview of the competencies and skills the prospect will bring to the company, and the kinds of positive results he or she can generate?

Seeing patterns in big data 

In organisations today, there are piles of information and vast amounts of data called big data that can overwhelm even the most knowledgeable person. Does the applicant demonstrate an ability to notice patterns and crucial trends in big data as well as what can affect workflows in the organisation?

In the past, workers were typically trained in the skills required to respond effectively to what was happening around them. Nowadays, however, market conditions demand the ability to proactively analyse precisely what is going on and to have the ability to communicate that to co-workers. The ability to analyse patterns in big data has to be one of the things you look for.

Identify achievement factors 

Achievement factors include a candidate’s motivation, their personality traits, behaviours and teamwork skills. They also include how candidates react to success or failure and how well they manage change or pressure. Employers need to listen very carefully for clues that demonstrate the applicant’s approach to each factor. After the candidate’s response, try to determine ‘what did I find out about them that could translate to achievements in our business?’

It is usually useful to get a feel for candidates’ weaknesses too. Can you train them to further improve? Furthermore, ascertain their enthusiasm for job hunting. Are they looking for a career change or running away from something?

Your first impression 

The position you are advertising is probably not the only one the applicant is applying for. This is one thing that many organisations and businesses often overlook and end up letting good and talented people slip away. Occasionally, the candidate most suited to working in your organisation does not have the exact expertise and qualities required for the job in question.

A good thing to do if you are in this scenario is always to see whether you could find a different job in the organisation which better matches this particular applicant. The worst thing you can do is make an effort to place a great worker in the wrong position. It is about employing talent, and letting people know that they’re important from the time you employ them through to the day they leave.

Feedback is important, but tread carefully 

Informing people of the reason you did not employ them will help them in their job seeking. Many candidates will greatly appreciate being given feedback, however it can be tricky to get it right, so tread carefully.

Explanations could point to the candidate lacking the right mix of skills and practical experience, a lack of detail in their responses during the job interview, or as them needing more development in a specialised skill. But be cautious when citing their exact match to a particular job or element of it. In serious situations, this could be interpreted as bias on your part, potentially paving the way to legal opposition.

When it’s impossible to find good matches 

If a suitable candidate just doesn’t show up, the general option is usually to keep looking. One reason is often that the ideal candidate simply does not exist. In some instances, it will be extremely difficult to get even very good matches for the roles you want to fill. Nonetheless, retaining active workers and ensuring they get job satisfaction is the most affordable and effective way of recruiting the best candidate.

Whatever your business sector, when you’re recruiting for the best candidate, include as many hiring processes as you feel can help and always keep an open mind. You never know, your company’s future superhero might just be among the candidates sitting in front of you, waiting for the right opportunity.