The interview is the perfect opportunity to determine whether a potential candidate is the right fit for your open position and organization. You can learn a lot about an employee from the interview, which is why most organizations have at least one in-person meeting, if not several. Determining if a candidate is right for your company is more than shaking hands and asking where they see themselves in five years. Finding qualified talent takes a bit of detective work, even when it comes to the interview. Here are four things look for when you’re interviewing your next potential employee.
- Behavior. How is the candidate behaving? Are they sweating bullets and stumbling over their words or are they calm and confident? You want to make sure that you hire someone that can take pressure, even if the job you have open isn’t that stressful. Every job has stressful moments and remaining collected under pressure is crucial to success. What does confidence look like? The candidate should be sitting upright in their seat instead of slouching or leaning back – both of these movements indicate lower self-confidence. Additionally, they shouldn’t be scared to make eye contact with you – especially when listening to your questions and giving responses. A confident tone of voice is also a plus!
- Focused Responses. You want the candidate you’re interviewing to know their stuff. That means, when you ask a question, they should have focused and informed responses for the most part. Of course, there’s always something that can get thrown in they aren’t prepared for but for the most part, they should know what they’re talking about and answer your questions directly. Even if the response they give is brilliant and well thought out but misses the mark on the actual question you asked, this can mean they aren’t good listeners or don’t have a great attention to detail.
- Good Evidence. Anyone can say they’re hardworking, dedicated, and efficient, but what makes the difference between candidates is their ability to show examples of these traits. Your potential employee should have great evidence of why they possess the list of qualities they’ve portrayed on their resume. Press them on providing specific examples of times when these qualities were apparent. If they have difficulty articulating evidence, they might just be bluffing.
- The Questions They Ask. What questions is the interviewee asking? Do they delve into the business, culture, position, and more? If the only questions they pose are about compensation and benefits, they may not truly care about your company. While these are fine questions to address, in theory, you want to hear insightful and inquisitive questions about daily life in the organization and how they can help your business.
An interview can tell you almost everything you need to know about a candidate if you know what you’re looking for. Do you need help finding the perfect fit? Let MSB Resources help.