Resource Centre Employer’s Corner 5 Steps to Guarantee you Interview the Right Candidates

5 Steps to Guarantee you Interview the Right Candidates

Hiring the right candidate is key for hiring managers and HR professionals. A wrong hire is a costly affair. Here is how to ensure that you interview the right person and get it right the first time.

Evaluate Your Hiring Process

How efficient is your recruitment process? How long has it taken to hire good candidates before and what is the success rate? Is your current application pool worth your time or is it riddled with low-quality applications? Take time to evaluate your shortlisting process and learn from your past processes and the decisions you made. You will not make any difference using old methods. It is time to try a new approach. 

Describe the relevant skills and qualifications 

A clear description of the role is the first and most vital measure you can take in order to employ the right applicant. Avoid general descriptions which are common in most applications. For example, listing computer skills as part of the requirements instead of narrowing down to specific computer skills like Powerpoint presentations and Microsoft word. Also, do not list more than what is required. Specificity is key if you want the right candidate. 

 Consider Skills Assessments Before the Actual Interview

A major challenge hiring managers are facing is the influx of low-quality applications when the post job ads. Attaching the BrighterMonday Skills Assessment to a job ad is one way of ensuring that candidates who apply for your job possess the skills you are looking for. The BrighterMonday Skills Assessment also guarantees that you will interview the right candidates. This is because you will shortlist only candidates who perform well in the assessments.

interview right candidates

Prepare the Right Interview Questions

All the candidates could have the required competencies and skills. Asking the correct questions during the interview comes in handy in shortlisting the applications. It reveals the best-suited candidates for the job. You can even make the questions personal for the applicants. For instance, if you are hiring a nurse position, ask the applicants what it means to them to have people’s lives on their hands? Refer to the description and come up with the right questions.

Ask Candidates Follow-Up Questions

Candidates tend to oversell themselves so as to get on the good side of the employer. The surest way to know whether what they’re saying is true is to seek more details. If someone says they managed a project, ask for how long and include dates as well. How many people were involved in the project and how successful was it? What skills did they learn from the project? Write this down in the feedback section and cycle back to ask the same question before completing the interview  or in subsequent interview. Chances are if someone is lying they cannot keep up to the numbers or dates they gave.

Hire Right the First Time with BrighterMonday Skills Assessment

Below is a short step by step guide to adding an assessment to your job listing on BrighterMonday to ensure you hire the right candidate. Try it today!

WRITTEN BY
Doreen Mueke
Doreen is the Senior Content Marketer at Ringier One Africa Media.
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