Make your next round of hiring a breeze by keeping an eye out for these ten interview candidate considerations.
You have combed over hundreds of resumes, but you’re still not 100% sure what to look for in an interview candidate. Use our ten tips below as a guiding compass to navigate your first round of interviews with confidence. You’ll feel a breath of relief knowing that you can choose the perfect talent for your growing company.
10 Things to Look for In an Interview Candidate
This list is not exhaustive, and it is ultimately up to interpretation by the interviewer to decide what they need to look for to match the best candidate with the specified role. However, each item on this list serves as a good rule of thumb and can help you improve your hiring process.
1. Communication
Above all else, can your candidate communicate properly? According to data from the GMAC Corporate Recruiters Survey, 81% of recruiters identify interpersonal skills as more important than any other skills. Additionally, communication skills remain at the top of the most wanted list for employers.
Keep in mind that communication does not start at the interview. It begins at your initial touchpoints, such as email, phone call, or an in-person meeting at an event. One thing to look for in an interview candidate in terms of communication is good eye contact. Making eye contact ensures that the individual understands the value of good communication, as interesting as it sounds.
2. Good Body Language
Speaking of eye contact, interviewers should watch for good body language throughout the interview. Read their body language so that you can understand what they are trying to say. So much information is revealed through the simplest body language. According to a study published in 1981, words only account for about 7% of communication, and body language accounts for 55% of communication.
Look for certain clues about the candidate in their arm movements, hand gestures, eye contact, handshakes, and arm or leg crossings. By paying attention to simple cues, you can learn how they are feeling, who they are, and how interested they are in you.
3. Evaluate Their Work Ethic
Another thing to look for in an interview candidate is a strong work ethic. Companies want to hire employees that will show up to work on time and put in the effort needed to get the job done. So, evaluate their work ethic and general attitude toward the work.
Be on the lookout for language that signals the candidate has had difficulties working with colleagues or management. Additionally, ask questions about how they handle heavy workloads, navigate problems, shift priorities, and stay organized.
4. Optimistic Attitude
An optimistic attitude is essential to team and company morale. Many employers will miss clues throughout the interview that signal a candidate has a poor attitude. The reality is that most employees fail not because of a lack of skill. They fail because their personality and attitude are not the right match for the organization, which is why looking for the right attitude is critical.
Plus, a positive attitude closely links with business professionalism. Someone who is upbeat and eager to perform, regardless of if the position is entry-level or mid-level, will carry that enthusiasm into the workplace and boost overall morale.
5. An Eager Learner
Is your job candidate an eager learner, and do they demonstrate those qualities in the interview? While interviewing, ask the right questions to determine if they are a keen learner. Employees who have great potential tend to be very curious about everything. The best employees will strive to continue learning within and outside of their roles.
Lifelong learners want to continuously learn, add new skills to their skillset, and build their knowledge arsenal. Remember that this type of candidate can grow at your company, ultimately becoming an invaluable resource to your organization.
6. Specific Accomplishments
What specific accomplishments does your candidate have? What specific experiences does your candidate have? As an interviewer, you should look for specifics rather than vague explanations. When conducting your interview, try to look for answers that follow the STAR method. This methodology follows a specific story trajectory that looks like this. The candidate explains the situation, then the target of the situation, the actions taken to reach the target, and the final result of their actions.
The STAR method is a great way to gain insights into candidates’ past experiences. While you cannot control how the candidate tells the story, you can be aware of the method to recognize it if the candidate uses it in conversation.
7. Questions Asked
While the interview questions you ask are important, the questions your candidate asks might be even more important. Look for an individual who is not shy about asking questions and who asks the right questions. All great talent will have a set of questions prepared about the job, the company, and their daily responsibilities.
Are their questions insightful? Can you tell if their questions indicate how excited they are about the position? By paying attention to their inquiries, you can gauge their level of interest, how they look at problems, and how they might approach tasks within the role.
8. Evaluate How They Think
How an employee thinks about things is incredibly important. It will impact their work performance and growth within your organization. To look for thinking patterns in an interview candidate, give them a problem to solve. It is not so much about getting to a correct result as it is about seeing how they break the problem apart and think about it.
Instead of a problem, you can pose a situational question that takes into account multiple factors. Situational questions are an interview favorite because they allow you to gauge a candidate’s critical thinking skills, creativity, integrity, and work ethic all in one swoop.
9. Look for Passion
A tell-tale sign that your interview candidate will be a great addition to the team is passion. Ask the candidate about something they feel passionately about during the interview. Look for a gleam in their eye, a smile, and an uptick in their energy when they answer.
Remember to be conversational and open to hearing their response. Allow the candidate to lean into topics they feel comfortable and confident talking about. By doing so, you are more likely to collect valuable insights into their personality and find out what makes them light up.
10. Dependability and Integrity
You want to build a motivated team that is dependable, and with dependability comes integrity. You should look for signs of both traits in your interview candidate. This can look like an employee who shows up on time, who follows the rules, and who gives 100% effort to every project.
You can assess your applicant’s integrity by posing hard-hitting questions that directly ask about their integrity. You might ask the candidate to discuss a time when their integrity or morals were challenged at work and how they handled it.
Conclusion
Humans are dynamic creatures, and your candidate is much more than a resume. Always look beyond the skills and experience listed on paper and take into account the individual’s character.
Sales Recruiters Dallas can help you find the right person to fill your company’s open positions. Contact us by filling out our client inquiry form or by calling us at 214-377-1352.