Fake or Fantastic: 5 Ways to Fill Spots with the Perfect Candidate

questionsIt’s every company’s nightmare: letting the best potential employee walk out the door while the second, third or fourth best get welcomed into the company, put through an expensive training, orientation and ramp up process, only to reveal himself/herself as a complete dud.

We’ve all done it, gone with our gut and then realized we weren’t as great at predicting as we thought. I mean, the odds are often against us when we take the “intuition” route.

Here are a few reminders to eliminate bias and bring in the best candidate possible for your firm:

  • First admit that bias sometimes creeps into your hiring decisions. It’s not an offense that earns you a spot in front of a firing squad, but it is behavior that is to be actively avoided.
  • Use a variety of evaluation methods aside from the interview such as personality tests, qualifications tests and “homework” that can be done and brought in for the next interview. This is a pretty useful trick because it shows whether potential hires can simply follow directions and meet a deadline.
  • Share the decision making by putting together a hiring panel made up of several people who may work with the candidate should s/he be hired. It can be overwhelming for a potential hire to be interviewed by several people. Consider giving the panel the results of the tests you’ve given and see what they say about the candidate. Also, one-on-one interviews with each panel member may work as well.
  • Try to make the process as uniform and regimented as possible. The more rigid the less room for bias to slip in.
  • How they answer your questions is great. But what kind of questions is the potential hire asking you? And why are they asking them? Dig deep to find out as much as you can without stepping over the line of EEOC regulations.

With that being said, going with your gut isn’t always a bad thing, just back up your decision with firm evidence to prove your theory the candidate would make a good fit for your firm.

(Source: Salary.com)

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