Hire the Right Job Candidate On the First Try in 4 Steps

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Like most hiring managers/employers, have you had the experience of hiring someone you thought would make an excellent employee, only to discover they were the wrong person for the job? If so, you understand how frustrating that can feel (and how costly it can be for a company). Thankfully, you can learn from your hiring mistakes and increase your discernment until you hire the right job candidates on the first try.

4 Steps to Hiring the Right Job Candidate on the First Try

Ready to stop wasting time hiring the wrong people? Then give these 4 tips a try the next time you need to make a hiring decision:

1) Know what you need and what you want — If you’ve decided to look for a new employee, your company obviously has a need. Can you communicate what it is in 1-2 sentences? If not, spend some time defining what it is your company needs and wants from a new hire.

2) Write the right job description — Once you know what you need and want in a job candidate, it’s time to draft a job description. But, not just any job description will do. You need one that is concise and will draw the talent that will most benefit your company. According to RecruitLoop, you can do this by listing these things in this order:

  • Job title
  • Duties
  • Skills and competencies
  • Relationships
  • Salaries

Read more about how to write a job description that attracts top talent here.

3) Decide on your selection process/criteria — Do you know how your hiring department plans to receive applications and assess/select candidates? Getting clear on this is key to choosing the right people on the first try. The article Recruitment — 10 Key Steps to Getting the Right Person, First Time! says,

Applications are typically by CV and perhaps cover letter or by application form.  Some organisations opt for online processes. It really depends on what you prefer. In addition you might want to consider shortlisting as a first step – this is a CV screening process and is usually based on some limited essential criteria. You should also consider aptitude tests and / or psychometric tests. These should never be used as the only selection method but rather as an additional aid.”

4) Make your selection — Choosing a candidate is the hardest part of the hiring process. If you put a lot of pressure on yourself to get it right on the first try, you could depress your ability to choose the right person to hire. When making your decision, aim to hire the best candidate, not the best interviewer. Plenty of people are expert interviewers, but sub-par employees. To ensure you don’t end up with someone like this, give them a problem to solve. Recruiterbox stated,

Ron Friedman calls these job auditions. Prior to any formal interviews, successful applicants are asked to complete an activity that they would do as part of their job. This shows you what your candidates are capable of before (potentially incorrect) judgments can be made at interview.”

Have you ever tried this?

Every hiring manager has brought the wrong people on board at one point in their hiring past. The best hiring managers learn from their mistakes and take action to improve their hiring processes.

What steps can you take to ensure you hire the right candidates on the first try next time around?

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