We’ve had 10 Warning Signs for Losing Applicants but how do you know if he/she is “the one”. This is a guest post written for us by Megan Thomson from NSK Consultants as part of our Recruiting Weekly series, where recruiters who work at the coal face on a week-in week-out basis share their expertise. Here she shares her own opinion on the 4 signs that your candidate is ‘The One’.
One of the questions we are asked very often in the recruitment industry is how we can figure out which of the hundreds of applicants to a singular position is considered to be ‘the one’. Truth is, nobody ever knows that for sure right from the cover letter. Recruitment professionals can go on and on about finding the best candidate, but that is a matter of opinion in the end. Recruitment as a whole is a game of luck and chance. Sometimes the best candidate on day one could turn out to be the worst by day three of interviews. Everything is subject to change.
Yet, in saying that, we are pretty confident there are ways to ensure you decipher which candidates could be ‘the one’ if given the chance to prove themselves. Interviews are far more in-depth than cover letter and CV readings, but the tell-tale signs of a match made in recruitment heaven can linger in these first few interactions with your candidates.
If you are looking for honesty about the lighter side of the recruitment process, this guide says it all.
1. Motivation
Figuring out which candidates are the most motivated to take on the position is easier than you might first think. They will be far more enthusiastic and willing to tell all than other candidates, and may immediately overshadow other applicants. (Don’t ignore those in the shadows just yet – there is value in looking at every option twice!)
Take time to really read between the lines of what you read. An application is not as black and white as it may first appear. Candidates who show a willing nature to go the extra mile for the job may turn out to be the better applicants. Some agencies even wait for the applicant to call and discuss the application process first to really see who wants the position most and is willing to reach out and grab it.
That process isn’t for everybody, but you can be sure that somebody who takes the time to call you and ask for improvements really wants the job.
2. Honesty
When you think of an honest candidate, you don’t think of one who has every single required skill and qualification you were looking for. Very few candidates will actually try to own up to that – and your advertisement is meant to be tricky to match for a reason! An honest candidate will try their best to fit into the role and show a determination to work towards achieving the other skills. Most recruiters would love a ‘hit the ground running’ type of candidate, but there is value in a less skilled applicant.
Unless your position desperately needs all of the listed requirements, such as a more skilled professional position, you should and will consider candidates with a little less than what you were ideally looking for. There’s the keyword: ‘ideally’. The candidate you will end up forwarding for the position will be closely matched to the ‘ideal’ that has been created for the position in question. The successful candidate may not actually be anything exactly similar – it is simply a guide.
Give chances to candidates who are honest enough to admit they may have some small flaws or lack certain abilities but are determined to better themselves. The interview process will shine much more of a light on their honesty, too. Asking questions to a candidate about their flaws is either a trap door or a gateway for them.
Choosing the candidate who admits they have some failings but have been working to improve is more attractive than a ‘perfectionist’ candidate who can offer little for the business.
3. Taking Blame
Here is something that can really signify that you have found the perfect candidate. If during your interview you bring up situations where team projects may have gone poorly, you will expect to hear a lot of blame being pushed around for various failings. However, there will be one candidate who may rise above blame – and that is the aspiring candidate you want to pay attention to.
Where others will blame a team for a project failing, the ideal candidate may be the one who takes blame for aspects of the project and tells you how they are going to be improving on those skills to apply them better in the team. No real team-player will shoot down somebody else unless it is called for, and you need to look for a candidate who will be able to work their way into a new team environment and do well.
Would you be wanting to hire somebody who takes no blame and simply continues to make mistakes, or put forward the applicant who takes the time to show their honesty and motivation all at once? We know which we would rather aspire to be hiring.
4. Professionalism
Everyone is allowed some degree of friendliness during an interview and conveyed through their cover letter. You want to see that the candidate is human, after all! However, there is a line that should not be crossed, and unfortunately, we see this time and time again.
There is a difference between professional-relaxed and unprofessional-relaxed. The wrong candidates will, absolutely, be unprofessional and too relaxed. They are still trying to impress you, but tell-tale signs include incorrect grammar and spelling, and even the inability to remember who they were applying to. (Yes, that really happens.) A candidate who may have seemed ideal could fall at the interview hurdle by being unprofessional in person, using inappropriate language or presenting incorrect facts about the company and themselves. It’s easy to tell who’s lying.
Now, switch to ‘the one’. They will be dressed appropriately, and yes, they may be a little nervous – as we all are in an interview for a job we desperately want. Above all, however, they will demonstrate a more professional air about them. They won’t sit stiffly and anxiously, and instead they will be able to be relaxed and show that they have taken the time to research the position and the company. It’s almost a no-brainer.
Choosing The Right Candidate
Ultimately, it’s up to you to determine who is ‘the one’ and who isn’t from your list of potential candidates. They have demonstrated to you what they can do, and what they can’t, and that is what you have to strive to work with.
Among that pile of papers, there will be one that shines just that little bit brighter than the others. Don’t be discouraged if you feel underwhelmed at first – a diamond in the rough may just be waiting to show you who they really can be.
Megan Thomson is a Content Writer for NSK Consultants, providing working results and interesting articles for clients in the IT industry.
