When filling an open position in your business you can easily get pulled into the rabbit hole of going through dozens of resumes and candidates in hopes of finding the perfect candidate. That could be very time consuming and if you are in a hurry to fill the spot it could negatively impact your business. When choosing the best candidate there is certain criteria you should consider to streamline the hiring process.
Here’s the checklist you need when hiring the right person for your team:
- Experience and skill set – Level of experience should match what you are looking for or at least get very close. Of course the concept of the “perfect” candidate doesn’t exist. Searching for perfect will take up a lot of your time and may cause you to pass up some really strong candidates. To avoid this, keep in mind if they don’t have exactly the skills and experience you are looking for, they can always be taught a skill.
- Level of professionalism – Did they arrive on time to the interview? Are they dressed appropriately? These are good signs off the bat to tell whether the candidate is professional.
- Preparedness – Candidates should always come to the interview prepared with their resume in hand and have researched your company well in advance. Also, a good sign in the interview is if they ask you questions about the company to really show they are engaged and interested in the role they would play and not just trying to get a paycheck.
- References – It’s difficult to get a full read on a candidate in a short phone and even in-person interview. Always a good idea to check in with their references to get feedback on their past work ethic and qualifications.
- Bring something new to the table – The new employee should be bringing something new, a new perspective, idea, or tools that can grow or improve your company.