ChicExecs Co-Founder and Co-President, Kailynn Bowling shares how to find the best candidate for the job on Forbes blog. Here is an excerpt from the piece.
Follow these six tips to help you find the best candidate for the job.
1. Make it casual.
Candidates are on their toes during interviews, making it difficult to understand what it would really be like to work with them.
Try to make the interview casual and comfortable. Stuffy, formal settings prevent you from really getting to know the candidates, so try interviewing them over coffee or even a meal.
2. Ask relevant questions.
Don’t ask silly interview questions like, “How many golf balls can a school bus hold?” if this answer is not relevant to your work.
After all, is it “What is your greatest weakness?” tell you something really valuable about a candidate? Usually their references, work history and portfolio will tell you a lot more.
3. Committee interview.
Try to involve other employees in the hiring process if possible. Your employees can assess whether the candidate is a) a good fit with the culture and b) giving them red flags.
4. Do a test project.
Not sure of a candidate’s qualifications? Ask them to prove it with a small work project. Test projects are a great way to ensure candidates can follow instructions, think independently, and produce great work.
5. Trust your instincts.
Sometimes a candidate looks great on paper, but when you meet them, something seems… weird.
You can’t describe what it is, but you have a negative feeling about a certain candidate. If you’re hiring by committee, ask your employees if they have any reservations about the candidate. When several people have doubts, it is a sign that you should choose another candidate.
6. Hire for culture fit.
Did you know that 89% of new hires have a hard time integrating into their new company for the first 18 months? Plenty of people struggle to fit in, especially at a new job, and that’s why culture fit is so important.
If you have a really outgoing, gregarious office, is that the right place to bring in a new employee who’s an introvert? Or if you have a serious, no-nonsense type of culture, is that going to be a turn-off for extroverted candidates?
Click here to read Kailynn’s entire blog.
