How do I identify the wrong candidate during the selection process?
Early identification of the wrong candidate
Recruitment as a process needs to be as efficient as possible, so you need to take the opportunity to identify unsuitable candidates as early as possible. If there is even the slightest question after assessing a CV, you should identify the candidate’s suitability over the phone before inviting him/her for an interview. This requires a number of standard recruitment questions to be identified before the selection process begins. These may include questions relating to the technical part of the position requirements, skills in a particular business area, language skills, etc. If these questions are answered correctly, the candidate should theoretically be approved for a further live interview. If the answers are abstract or incorrect, in most cases a live interview will not help the candidate to reveal themselves and it is immediately worth pushing them down the priority list.
Personal qualities and cultural fit
The selection criteria for recruitment should cover both the technical, managerial (if necessary) and personal qualities. In the case of a live recruitment exercise in a company, it is necessary to prepare in advance situational questions that are appropriate to identify the candidate’s cultural characteristics. In this case, the recruitment process will be much more efficient and, if the cultural selection criteria are not appropriate, it will be possible to skip the other parts, saving both the company’s and the candidate’s time. It is important to note that personal qualities are assessed differently for each position and cannot be standardised for all recruitment processes.
Yes, certain cultural aspects should be the same, but the range of personal qualities for a sales position and a quality management position, for example, can be very different. Situational questions are best suited to assessing cultural fit, as both the response and the candidate’s reaction to the question can be assessed, as well as reaction to comments, acceptance of criticism, willingness to discuss, activity in the interview, etc. Tests are an outdated tool that is no longer actively used. At the same time, tests are not very engaging for the candidates themselves, who become less motivated when taking the tests.
Matching motivation levels
The recruitment process must include a check on the candidate’s motivation. Even if other selection criteria mean that a candidate is not 100% suitable, motivation can make up for this. A motivated candidate tends to learn more quickly in the missing areas, while a candidate who meets all the parameters but is not motivated tends not to make the most of the knowledge available. Thus, the motivation parameter is very important and an insufficient level of motivation can certainly lead to a candidate’s rejection.
Reasons for financial expectations
As a project, every recruitment and selection exercise has its own financial framework for measuring the financial expectations of candidates. Even if a candidate’s expectations currently fall within the range, this cannot be taken as a valid indication. If expectations are at the upper end of the reward range, and the candidate is very promising, then the potential for reward increases should be anticipated. If they are not, a progressive employee may be a very short-term guest in the company. Anticipating this could lead to an immediate rejection of the candidate because of the high risk of loyalty.
