5 Things You Should Know About Every Candidate You Interview

Hiring can be boring. And time-consuming. And stressful. By the time you start interviewing candidates, you may have sifted through hundreds of resumes, made dozens of screening calls, and spent countless hours trying to find the “right” new employee.

Finding new employees is hard work. And when you start the actual interviews, you might be so tired of the process that you are tempted to rush. After all, you’ve sorted through hundreds of potential candidates, and have narrowed it down to just a few. Any of them could be the right one…right?

Effective interviews are essential to making good hires.

Don’t waste precious time and opportunity by slacking on your interviews. Here are five things you should be sure to know about a candidate after every interview:

  1. Whether they are interviewing somewhere else. How long have you spent to get to the interviewing stage? Weeks? Months? And how many hours? How would it feel if you spent months finding the right employee, only for that person to choose another job offer? Avoid having to start from scratch by asking a candidate upfront whether he or she is applying to other jobs, and if so, where they are in the process. You’ll save yourself potential headaches and cost down the line.
  2. Compensation history. And that includes bonuses, benefits, or any other possible compensation received. Some candidates can be tempted to inflate their previous compensation history to receive a better offer, so be proactive and ask for a complete, detailed compensation history during the interview. You’ll be better equipped to make an offer, if appropriate, and you’ll be able to better assess candidates side-by-side, if compensation is a factor in your hiring decision.
  3. Current commute time. It’s an innocuous question. “How long does your daily commute take?” And even it’s follow up, “How long are you willing to commute?” The follow up can result in over-eager employees embellishing to stay in contention, but the first question is essential. If a candidate currently commutes 15 minutes to work, and your place of business is 45 minutes from that candidate’s home, they may be using your position as a backup. And when it comes down to making a hire, that candidate may say, “No, thanks.” Avoid a surprise at the end of your hiring process by having a clear idea how far candidates are willing to travel to get to work.
  4. Ideal working conditions. Ask candidates what environment is most conducive to their work. And what conditions they prefer to work under. Are you noticing a trend here? There are many factors in choosing a job offer besides the duties of the job. Finding out how an employee works best can help you remove from consideration those who may not be an ideal fit for your working environment.
  5. What they like and don’t like to do (on the job). Keep probing for more information about how a candidate is likely to perform in your business. Asking what a candidate does and doesn’t like to do can further help you determine whether a candidate will be a good fit for both the specific job and your organization.

If the hiring process is taking a toll on your organization, or if you simply want more time to focus on your business instead of recruiting, contact CornerStone Staffing. Our team of recruiting professionals will help you identify the traits necessary to thrive in your organization, and we’ll source our extensive network to find talented professionals who are poised to make a positive impact on your bottom line.

 

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