Hiring Managers And Recruitment Experts Know How Crucial It Is To Hire The Right Candidate For The Organization.
They also know how difficult it is to find the right candidate who not only knows his/her job well but can also align with their organization’s culture seamlessly. As per Gartner slow and poor decision making by hiring managers is causing companies to lose out on top talent. The onus thus falls on hiring managers to make the right decision without time lags and unnecessary delays. As per another study by Gartner, the overall cost of hiring rose by 18% from 2015 to 2017. This shows how important ‘hiring’ as a function is for the success of an organization.
While technical skills and relevant work experiences are the biggest assets a candidate brings to the table, there are certain personality traits that hiring managers and recruitment experts should watch out for before hiring. While the list may go pretty long, here are the top five qualities, which is a must for every job candidate.
Communication Skills
Effective communication is an important factor that plays a key role in the development of any organization. Your candidate need not be a Shakespearean in writing a business communication, but he or she should know how to communicate thoughts and information effectively.
Not just during the interview process, but also go through his or her social media handles and e-mail conversations that you might have exchanged during the initial stage of hiring. Anything that you think is relevant to assess this important skill.
Right Attitude
Take cues from the interview process to assess the candidate’s attitude. Whether you are hiring for an entry-level or a leadership level, having the right attitude at the workplace is important to build a super-strong team that is motivated towards working for the organization’s goal. Is she enthusiastic? Does he have the right temperament? Is he a problem solver? Is she too aggressive or submissive? Make a note of it and analyze it.
Integrity
Having employees who have strong work ethics and integrity is crucial especially if you are hiring for a sensitive role. Ask about situations from the candidate’s past experience when his/her integrity was challenged at work and how the person handled it? Or, give a typical business scenario and assess how the person will solve it when integrity is at stake.
A typical question would be “how would you handle the situation when a colleague or your supervisor asks you to do something unethical?”
Team Player
Collaboration is important in any workplace for the progress of the organization. No one can work in silos and hence it is important to find a candidate who believes in teamwork and is a good team player. Whether the role requires the person to be an independent contributor or work in a team, there will be situations when the person needs to collaborate in a group for certain projects.
Commitment
Last but not the least, you need to ensure that the candidate you are going to hire is committed and going to stick around for some time. Training a new candidate is an expensive affair both in terms of time and cost, so you need to be doubly sure that the candidate is serious about the job.
Scan through his resume to gauge his commitment towards learning and growth. Discuss in detail what is the growth trajectory the candidate wants to pursue and how can your organization help her or him to get there.
Keep these tips handy while interviewing your next candidate. Finding the right candidate for your organization who has the right mix of skill, experience, and personality may be difficult but not impossible
