Five Top Tips to Hire Right the First Time

Though an impressive CV and covering letter is certainly an indicator of the qualities a candidate possesses, it is important to consider that this does not give the full picture and should not be relied on when hiring. Here are our five top tips on what you can do to ensure you hire the right candidate for your company the first time round.

Explore Social Media Platforms

It may be that a candidate impresses you at an interview, but if you are hasty and hire someone based on first impressions then there is a strong chance that you are preventing yourself from finding the best suited candidate for your company. First impressions are a great indicator of a candidate’s personality, but they do not give the full picture. Exploring a candidate’s online presence, particularly on Twitter and/or Facebook, is a great way to get an understanding of their values and characteristics, helping you to decide if they would be well suited to your company culture or not.

Check for Passion

Hire someone that is genuinely passionate and enthusiastic about what your company does. Though at times it is safer to hire a candidate that may appear to tick more boxes, your company could suffer in the long run if the candidate lacks ambition and determination to succeed. Having a workforce that is excited about your company will create a great working environment and will help to build team morale.

Evaluate Their Skills

Interviews are not always the best way to evaluate the strengths of a candidate, too many individuals crack under the pressure that an interview can bring. Often, the best way to evaluate a candidate’s capability is through giving them a task to perform during their interview. Seeing a candidate perform a task in front of you will give you the opportunity to assess the standard of their work and decide if hiring them would be the right choice.

Consider Your Existing Workforce

There is no use in hiring a candidate who has the exact same skills that already exist within your company. Instead, you should hire someone with new skills that will complement the department they are going in to and who can ultimately bring something new to the table. This will strengthen each of your departments and could potentially raise the standard of work.

Check Candidate and Job Role Compatibility

A candidate who is qualified for a position and a candidate who is suited to a position are two very different things.  Employers should avoid hiring anyone who may be over-qualified or under-qualified. If you hire a candidate who has had previous experience at managerial level and they are applying for an assistant role, then they may become unfulfilled and are likely to leave the company a lot quicker than someone who has only ever been an assistant. Similarly, hiring a manager who does not have any previous experience may prove to be difficult for the individual and as a result could struggle to cope with the pressure. It is therefore important to always remember the level of the role you are hiring for and base your decision on whether the candidate has the ability and experience to perform successfully in the role, rather than basing the decision on qualifications alone.Choosing the right candidate is a difficult decision, however, if employers follow these five top tips, it is possible that stronger workforces can be built and better suited candidates can be found.