- The 3 C’s: Character, Culture, Career. Check to see if you’re interviewing the right character (skills can always be taught) for your business, if they enrich the work culture, and if they possess a career mindset for which can truly be invested.
- Realistic, workable skills. There is no such thing as a perfect employee. Even a robot experiences glitches, so make sure your standards are reasonable.
- Take a person-led (or first-person) approach. Think of a candidate first as a person who has abilities, rather than their abilities overshadowing their personhood. The latter emphasizes only what they can do, it’s result-driven. The prior highlights who they are as an individual, which will encourage growth and versatility leading to greater efficiency.
- Find their greatest asset and see which position would enhance it most. Trying to fiddle and fit a candidate into a role that’s not right will make you both lose. If you see a better opportunity for a candidate within your company, even if they didn’t apply, suggest it!
- Every company has a list of wants and needs that varies between them. Prioritize positions first based on the needs they fulfill. For example, a higher level position can be more crucial for a company if a sense of direction is what they are struggling with. They’ll focus on hiring new management. For another, keeping numbers and facts in check, along with keen organization, is significantly greater for a business that’s different in nature. In all cases, self-reflection and awareness in where you lack is key. Figure out what holes need patching first. Ask yourself, the filling of which position would give you the appropriate time and means to continue doing what you do best?
STORY:
Regardless of your position in the company you work for, you too were once considered a candidate and had to go through the grueling process of hiring. Remember the fright you felt in wondering: Are they going to see I’m the best pick? What if they think they made a mistake with hiring me? Well, with the roles reversed, and now you’re the hirer, you may be experiencing the other sides’ fears: What happens if I don’t hire the right person? Could I find a better fit in someone else? Firsty, think of the Golden Rule - treat others the way you want to be treated. How did you want to be seen when you were a candidate for your job? Then, prioritize your wants. Does your candidate have the right character for your work culture? Are they looking to pursue a career with your company? Are the aforementioned aspects more important than their experience and skillset? Are your standards too high? It’s important to check yourself, to remember that you want to hire a person, not a robot (and even robots aren’t perfect!). Obviously finding the perfect fit for the position you’re seeking to fill is more desired, but remember that a perfect fit doesn’t necessarily mean a right fit.