It’s not easy to be a recruiter. Your everyday struggle is to provide quality, which means – placing the right candidate at the right job position. Fortunately, there are range of techniques that might help with this problem, but which one is the best? Let’s talk about 4 of them, which we think are the most important while this (not always easy) process is active.
Intuition
For any candidate, a good first impression is essential. But to what degree should a recruiter trust their instinct on a potential hire? Turning down a candidate despite their obvious ability, could be considered egotistical or short-sighted. But still, this is one of the most important things that every good recruiter should rely on. Our instincts are deep down inside us, and most of the time they never let us down. Never bring final decisions based ONLY on your instincts, but ALWAYS take them into consideration.
CV’s offer a helpful window into a candidate’s immediate ambitions. However, they do not necessarily provide an accurate representation of a person’s character. Often identifying an individual’s potential within a workplace comes from understanding the motivations of existing staff, and hiring to match the ambitions of high achievers with a similar profile within the talent pool.
Look for red flags
When deciding about whether you should send the candidate’s CV to your client, consider these characteristics as a possible red flag:
– Ignorance – Lacking knowledge, training, or awareness in general.
– Apathy – An apathetic candidate is just in it for the paycheck. They’re extremely difficult to motivate, and can act generally inconvenienced by doing their job – let alone anything above and beyond. Apathy is the killer of motivation, a detriment to quality, and a catalyst for poor customer service.
– Dishonesty – They tend to overstate their abilities, can be lazy in the most unproductive ways, and are generally a liability within just about any company.
– Inconsistency – An inconsistent employee is generally unreliable. They might miss work regularly or show up late, they can be full of excuses and personal problems, and they only seem to do their best work when it’s on their terms.
Very important!
Statistical tests are able to demonstrate candidates more complex characteristics, such as their attitude to teamwork, determination and level of creativity. Rather than simply identify whether a candidate is an appropriate fit for a role, these measures can identify how they will perform within the first months of their appointment, as well as the support they need to settle into their role.
Soon the use of people analytics and other data-driven techniques will simply become a part of due diligence and an integral part of traditional recruitment techniques. Data will increasingly be used to send more fit candidates to pre-screening interviews, reducing the chance of a bad hire and helping companies support their employees’ growth within the business.
Good luck!