Filling an open job at your company can be quite challenging! Not only can it be tough to find someone who can complete the tasks outlined in the job description, but it can be even more difficult to find someone who has the essential skills, values, and experience that makes them the right fit for the job. With so many different factors to consider, how do you know that you’re making the right hiring decision?
During the hiring process, there are several green (and red!) flags that you want to be on the lookout for. By spotting them early on, you’re much more likely to onboard a star employee who has long-term potential at the company. If you don’t tread carefully in the hiring process, you could end up hiring someone who ultimately doesn’t work out—forcing you to go back to the drawing board and needing to allocate more of your time and resources to the hiring process.
When you want everything to go according to plan, here are some key indicators that someone is the right fit for the job:
At the beginning of the interview, you can start to tell if someone is the right fit for the job based on their level of enthusiasm. A candidate who is genuinely interested in moving forward will have done a significant amount of company research and taken the time to prepare for the interview. If they’re able to discuss key points about the company, their experience and how it relates to the role, and why they are excited about moving forward, these are good signs that they might be the right fit.
The right fit for the job will come into the interview with thoughtful and engaging questions. These questions might sound like:
Not only are these great questions, but they also indicate that the interviewee is digging deep to determine if this is the right fit for them. If the two of you are aligned, this is a great sign that this person might have a lot of value to add to the company over time.
No employee is perfect, and the right fit for the job won’t tell you that they are. As a result, it could be helpful to inquire tactfully about a candidate’s greatest weakness, a recent team challenge, or most significant learning experience in the workplace. A candidate’s responses to questions like these can reveal a lot about their character. Do they seem honest? Do they learn from their mistakes? Are they a team player? Do they take ownership over their responsibilities? You should walk away from the interview with some clear answers that can help you decide if this person is the right fit for you.
When a candidate is excited and invested in a potential career opportunity, their body language will do as much talking as their words. During the interview, be on the lookout for engaged body language like sustained eye contact, good posture, and nodding and smiling as they answer questions. These are all signs that the candidate you’re interviewing is confident and interested in the role. Conversely, if they’re avoiding eye contact, fidgeting, slouching, or have their arms crossed, this shows that they’re disengaged in the conversation and ambivalent about the opportunity.
Even if you feel great about the candidate after the interview, reach out to their references and check out their LinkedIn recommendations to see what others have to say about them. Not only do you want to confirm they’re as qualified as they portrayed themself to be in the interview, but you also want to see what references and former colleagues have to say about their soft skills as well. For example, if this person gets rave reviews for being a great teammate and hard worker, this is a pretty good sign that you’ll have this experience working with them as well!
