What to look out for when shortlisting candidates for Interview

Being tasked with deciding the most qualified, relevant and best matched employee for your organisation isn’t easy. Here’s some top tips to help pinpoint the correct candidate for your company, starting with their CV and ending with six essential interview questions…

So you’ve written your job description and have your ideal candidate profile in mind. Be sure to take the time to outline the key skills, qualifications and competencies you require when perusing candidates’ CVs. Time-saving tip! If you’re drawing up your candidate shortlist on a computer you can search documents using CTRL+F to find keywords and save time finding the best-fitting candidates.

There’s a good reason recruiters are suspicious of job-hoppers. If a candidate changes roles every couple of months this could indicate that they don’t settle in well with their employers or handle increased responsibility. Ambition is always a factor to consider, however, with stats showing that one in three employees leave a new role within the first six months of joining, so it’s important to consider your cost per hire and limit the chance of a short-term hire. You also have to bear in mind the longevity of the career changer. Although career changers can be an asset to your company with their ability to transfer skills across several industries, it could also been an indicator that the candidate is impulsive and unlikely to stay at your organisation long term.

If a candidate sends you a one-size-fits-all CV, it could mean that they haven’t fully bought into the ethos of your company. Look for the following clues: do they mention your company in their cover letter? Does the formatting and language of their CV mirror your JD? These small things could pinpoint a candidate whose application is earnest, as opposed to one sending quick-fire applications. That’s not to say that someone applying for more than one role wouldn’t be a good hire, however a person who has taken the time to research your company and your working practices could be a truly outstanding interviewee.

Once you’re at the shortlist stage, it’s time to play detective and check for evidence! A candidate acted as Team Leader? Where’s the ROI figures? Built a website? Where is the link? A good candidate will share successes as well as skills – proving they can walk the walk and not just talk the talk.

Once you’ve shortlisted the candidates you’d like to progress to interview, it’s time to prep those key candidate questions. It’s important to assess attitude and aptitude when finding your ideal applicant; the perfect hire should be one that fits your business and workplace culture. With this in mind, below are six questions designed to help you attract the best possible employee…

In business, the ability to adapt to change is of utmost importance. This could mean anything from changing work hours or offices to embracing new technologies and working strategies. The candidate’s response doesn’t have to be related to work; it could be moving to a new house, buying a new car, or even embracing a new hairstyle! The important factor to consider is how they coped with change and turned a new experience in to a positive one.

Do they prefer open plan offices or working from home? Do they love team bonding activities with work colleagues or head home as soon as the working day has ended? The answers to these questions will tell you if they fit in with your work culture.

Reading between the lines, what you’re really asking is: ‘who inspires you and what are your interests?’ Maybe your candidate is impressed by success, glamour and fame? Or maybe they are are a deep-thinking literary type? Try and establish why the dinner guests were chosen and what they’d ask them, then consider what it says about the applicant as a person. Remember, this isn’t an exact science, however it may offer an insight into how the candidate might gel with the rest of the team – even if this team doesn’t include Theresa May or Taylor Swift!

An updated version of the old favourite: ‘tell me about a time you’ve overcome adversity’. This question establishes if a candidate is able to face difficult situations and make them work in their favour and allows those with a positive attitude to shine through.

If you are clear on the character traits that define your company, you can gain a good deal of insight on the suitability of a candidate from their answer to this question.

This question is useful on several levels: firstly, everyone enjoys recalling moments of pride and what they tell you will be a key indicator of what really matters to them and how this will translate in a work environment.

Find this article useful? Check out the Manning Global guide to becoming a Modern Recruiter for even more hints and tips!