All companies know that identifying a good candidate requires several steps. At the end of the recruiting process, the recruiter must make a single choice and sometimes there are still some very good candidates to choose from. How to proceed and what steps to follow in this case?
Assessing the human side and interpersonal skills
When a short list of candidates for a position is arrived at, the choice is usually more difficult. This means that there is not a single candidate who has stood out, but relatively many candidates who are roughly equal. In this case, the advice that can be given is to identify the personality and human side of the candidates. Often, psychotechnical tests are used upstream, at the beginning of the recruitment process. The results of these tests need to be analysed in greater depth and the candidates should be invited to an interview during which they will be questioned about their sensitivities and characters. This will also be an opportunity to assess the degree of interpersonal skills which is a fundamental criterion for a candidate to be able to join a company.
Determining the level of motivation
Once the psychological side and personality have been identified, another key step in the recruitment process is to confirm and assess the motivation of the candidates. Although all candidates have submitted a covering letter, it is recommended that you hear their detailed motivations. It is sometimes difficult to set out in a letter the real motivations. Always during an interview, you may discover that a candidate is so motivated to join his new position that he is ready to leave his employer as soon as possible, even immediately. The advice of recruiters is obviously that for equal skills, and for similar personalities, it is the most determined and motivated candidate who will be selected.
Identifying potential and assets
The last step to really appreciate a candidate in a recruitment process is to identify his/her assets and potential. The best recruiters, because of their experience, have a certain intuition to detect candidates with very high potential. Thus, to choose between several candidates, they can rely on their instinct. However, in general, the advice that can be given is to check with former employers or other people close to the candidate. In this way, the full potential could be revealed to you if this has not been made clear during the various tests and interviews. Finally, you should consider assessing each candidate's assets, such as the proximity of their home to the workplace or their willingness to travel frequently, as this can be decisive.