It’s a dilemma many employers would like to have: You’ve found more than one strong candidate for a position. And even though you have a hiring process designed to narrow the field — you’ve determined the key skills required, created a precise job description and carefully evaluated leading contenders — you still find yourself with two seemingly equal candidates. While it’s a good “problem” to have, it makes a hiring decision more complicated. Fortunately, there are guidelines to help make the best choice.
Look beneath the surface
First, invite both candidates back for another interview. Before each meeting, prepare targeted questions focusing on the characteristics essential to the position.
Frequently, what distinguishes truly outstanding employees is the ability to learn from mistakes. So, have each applicant talk about the lessons learned from past experiences. Ask open-ended questions — those that require more than just a simple “yes” or “no” answer. For example:
•Describe a politically sensitive or challenging situation in your former workplace and how you helped resolve the problem.
•Tell me about a professional setback and what you learned from it.
Try to engage the candidates in conversations that will provide additional insight into their personalities, teamwork abilities and conflict-resolution skills. Discuss trends in management and then move into more specific scenarios that address the applicant’s business acumen. For example:
•Tell me about a time when you were successful in presenting a new idea to senior management.
•How do you manage a multi-faceted project involving more than one department?
Seek out soft skills
Try to identify the candidate who possesses the strongest interpersonal (or soft) skills such as flexibility, good problem-solving abilities, polished communication skills and a positive attitude, particularly if the person will be working frequently with team-mates and other departments. Because so much of business today is collaborative, the applicant with the most highly developed soft skills may make the best employee.
Assess motivation
When you’re faced with choosing between two equally qualified candidates, enthusiasm for the position can be a deciding factor. Applicants who demonstrate an eagerness to learn and take on new challenges will bring this same initiative to their jobs. Some key questions designed to gauge a candidate’s level of motivation include:
•How do you keep your skills current?
•How do you keep a project running smoothly?
To determine attitude toward work, ask each candidate to talk about best and worst past jobs and the insights gained from these experiences. Responses may reveal important information about the ability to adapt to varying work environments and management styles.
Finally, introduce the candidates to potential co-workers to see how they interact. Doing so will give you an indication of how the applicants would work with your employees on a daily basis. Schedule brief followup meetings with staff members to get their feedback.
When it comes down to making a final hiring decision, ask pointed questions — one candidate will emerge as the better “fit” with your group. Other attributes being equal, you can’t go wrong by choosing the applicant who exhibits greater flexibility, open-mindedness and an eagerness to learn.
Murray Bandura is a Calgary-based recruiting manager for Robert Half Finance & Accounting, an international staffing firm specializing in accounting and finance services. For more information call 1-800-474-4253 or visit www.roberthalffinance.com.
Look beneath the surface
First, invite both candidates back for another interview. Before each meeting, prepare targeted questions focusing on the characteristics essential to the position.
Frequently, what distinguishes truly outstanding employees is the ability to learn from mistakes. So, have each applicant talk about the lessons learned from past experiences. Ask open-ended questions — those that require more than just a simple “yes” or “no” answer. For example:
•Describe a politically sensitive or challenging situation in your former workplace and how you helped resolve the problem.
•Tell me about a professional setback and what you learned from it.
Try to engage the candidates in conversations that will provide additional insight into their personalities, teamwork abilities and conflict-resolution skills. Discuss trends in management and then move into more specific scenarios that address the applicant’s business acumen. For example:
•Tell me about a time when you were successful in presenting a new idea to senior management.
•How do you manage a multi-faceted project involving more than one department?
Seek out soft skills
Try to identify the candidate who possesses the strongest interpersonal (or soft) skills such as flexibility, good problem-solving abilities, polished communication skills and a positive attitude, particularly if the person will be working frequently with team-mates and other departments. Because so much of business today is collaborative, the applicant with the most highly developed soft skills may make the best employee.
Assess motivation
When you’re faced with choosing between two equally qualified candidates, enthusiasm for the position can be a deciding factor. Applicants who demonstrate an eagerness to learn and take on new challenges will bring this same initiative to their jobs. Some key questions designed to gauge a candidate’s level of motivation include:
•How do you keep your skills current?
•How do you keep a project running smoothly?
To determine attitude toward work, ask each candidate to talk about best and worst past jobs and the insights gained from these experiences. Responses may reveal important information about the ability to adapt to varying work environments and management styles.
Finally, introduce the candidates to potential co-workers to see how they interact. Doing so will give you an indication of how the applicants would work with your employees on a daily basis. Schedule brief followup meetings with staff members to get their feedback.
When it comes down to making a final hiring decision, ask pointed questions — one candidate will emerge as the better “fit” with your group. Other attributes being equal, you can’t go wrong by choosing the applicant who exhibits greater flexibility, open-mindedness and an eagerness to learn.
Murray Bandura is a Calgary-based recruiting manager for Robert Half Finance & Accounting, an international staffing firm specializing in accounting and finance services. For more information call 1-800-474-4253 or visit www.roberthalffinance.com.
