Some hiring managers, particularly those who are new to the role, have a tendency to minimize the importance of the initial hiring process. These hiring managers tend to work quickly, oftentimes hiring every single applicant who meets the qualifications of the job at hand. While this might be a great practice if you are desperate or hurting for workers, this approach is seldom the best way to go about finding and securing top talent in the industry.
Review a Candidate’s Profile and Employment History
First, make sure to review a candidate’s complete profile and prior employment history before making a hiring decision. In fact, it’s a good practice to double- and even triple-check their resume, cover letter and any accompanying documents. Not only does this give you a detailed picture of the candidate in question, but it ensures that you aren’t missing or overlooking any important details in their profile.
You might also want to consider contacting all of a candidate’s listed references. While such references may not carry as much weight as they once did, contacting these individuals can go a long way in determining whether or not a specific applicant is right for your company as well as the job at hand.
Watch for Recurring Themes in Body Language or Speech
Patterns in an applicant’s speech or body language can be viewed a number of different ways. Some see these patterns as an indicator that a candidate’s answers have been rehearsed beforehand, which can be viewed as a sign of inexperience or lack of confidence.
On the other hand, proactive hiring managers can look for specific patterns in a candidate’s body language or speech in order to verify the skills needed for the job at hand. By asking specific and targeted questions, experienced hiring managers who use this strategy are usually able to weed out unqualified applicants during the initial interview process.
Ask for a Specific Commitment
Finally, you might want to ask a candidate for a specific commitment. While this doesn’t necessarily have to come in the form of a written and binding contract, simply asking an applicant to dedicate themselves to your team for a certain amount of time is actually a rather common practice.
Asking for a commitment is especially helpful If you believe that a certain applicant may be a job hopper. Those who have had a long history of short-term jobs, or those with large, unexplainable gaps in their career history, could all be considered job hoppers.
However, you’ll want to make sure that this commitment is reasonable for both parties. Asking a seasonal employee to work year-round is probably not going to work well. With this in mind, you’ll want to make sure you are familiar with the general availability of your candidates before asking for a solid commitment.
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