How to find out who the best candidate for a job is?

Monday, 9 march 2020 | Redacción CEU

They can be tense, informal, conventional or original, but interviews are usually the previous step to get a job. Precisely because it is something that professionals are usually familiar with, some of them tend to underestimate the work that exists behind an interview, coming to the conclusion that this is a simple task, like any other. Nothing is further from the truth, since a company’s expectations and objectives depend, to a large extend, on how these interviews are carried out. Consequently, interviews require that recruiters do more work than just planning a series of questions. Thus, what advice should they follow to conduct a good interview? What do they have to consider when looking for the ideal candidate?

The ideal candidate is the one who is eager to work and shows enthusiasm, has the potential to help achieve the short-term and long-term company goals and adapts and believes in the values and culture of the organization. Do these candidates really exist? Of course, they do. Nevertheless, we must not forget that, without the appropriate prior work, the company may not find the best candidates for the job that it offers. Before reaching the decisive moment of the interview, it is necessary to deploy a good recruitment strategy: having a coordinated and effective work team, designing strategic plans on communication and talent attraction, anticipating recruiting needs to avoid making rash decisions, informing the employees about vacant positions, having the support of the right tools, etc.

To be a good interviewer you have to… 

Just as they have to pay attention to the applicant selection, they should also do so to the interviewer selection. The person in charge of interviewing the candidate must be a professional who adequately represents the values of the brand, as in an interview a candidate is introduced to the company and vice versa. In turn, interviewers must have good communication skills that enable them to conduct interviews with confidence and to interpret the candidates' responses and behaviors better. It is also important that they know the hidden details of the jobs. Otherwise, they can always resort to a collaborator who does have this expertise.

Once the interviewer has been chosen, what should they take into account? How should they prepare the interview?

• Getting to know who the candidates are

Interviewers usually face meetings without studying candidates first, in other words, without reading their resumes. This is a serious mistake. There is no worse introduction for a company that looking unprofessional, and this is the impression interviewers make when they limit themselves to improvising. CVs not only serve to contrast applicants' experience; they also offer interesting clues about who professionals really are. Social networking sites might also be good resources to gather information about candidates, especially Linkedin.

• Interpreting body language 

Small details hide a lot of information, for example, crossed arms, forced smiles and body tension are negative signs. Body language is also useful for recognizing transversal soft skills such as empathy, friendliness, proactivity and eloquence. There are also other aspects to assess like punctuality, neatness and manners. It is important to take into account that, to perform a good job as an interviewer, it is essential to practice active listening during the whole interview.