Is It Possible to Find Your Ideal Candidate?

When you’re creating your job description to begin the search for a new candidate, you probably have an ideal in mind. Is it realistic to believe that you can hire this perfect candidate? Before you start reviewing resumes and interviewing candidates, it is important to think realistically so you don’t fall too far down the rabbit hole of searching for an ideal candidate who doesn’t exist.

Don’t make the requirements impossible.

Often, hiring managers will write complex job descriptions with a laundry list of duties and requirements with the hope of ruling people out. Instead, consider ruling people in. Dogmatically searching for every tiny piece of experience will quickly yield no results because they are simply standards that no professional can live up to. This impossible candidate is sometimes referred to as a “unicorn” or a “purple squirrel.” Instead, consider what is essential and then evaluate the candidates individually from there. Make people want to apply for the job, not find reasons to not apply.

Focus on potential as well as skills.

In fact, by not hiring the individual with every single check box ticked off you are giving someone an opportunity to grow professionally. You’re also eliminating many of the bad habits that highly experienced people might bring to the table. You don’t want to hire someone who will be looking for a new job in six months, so consider future growth potential as well. Someone with the competence to learn is extremely valuable in today’s job market.

Hire for personality and company culture.

You also want to hire someone who fits in well with your current team. Even when someone comes to the table with every last requirement on your list, if they don’t get along with the other people in your office it won’t be a beneficial partnership. You need to strike a balance between skills and personality. Have their potential co-workers interview them as well to see if they make connections. That fit can be written in a job description but can be difficult to articulate.

Do your due diligence.

Lastly, before you make a hiring decision follow up on the candidate’s references. You want to know that they really can do all of the things they say they can. You want to see how they work under pressure. If you can, work with a staffing agency to bring them on in a temp-to-hire capacity so you can work with them for a probationary period to see if they are a good match for your company.

Are you looking for the perfect candidate for an open job? CornerStone Staffing Agencies is one of the top employment agencies in Dallas. Contact us today to get started!

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