How to choose the right candidate from your shortlist

A successful business relies on a team of talented, skilled employees. But finding those exact people can feel like a seemingly impossible obstacle in today’s candidate-led market.?

Nowadays, the competition for top talent is fierce. So, having a list of potential candidates to choose from is an incredibly lucky position to be in, and it’s important to recruit just the right person to guarantee long-term success for your business. Making the wrong hiring choice can have many costs that aren’t just money-oriented - high turnover costs your business time, effort and can have a significant negative impact on team morale.

Instead of wasting time on unqualified or unfit candidates, you need to make sure you find the right fit for you, your business and your already-established team. At the end of the day, you don’t just want the best interviewer, you want the best candidate.?

With that in mind, here’s a few top tips for choosing the best candidate from your shortlist, whatever role you’re looking for - from team member to team leader - to help elevate your business to the next level.?

Hiring the right candidate?

Separate the essential from the desirable?

It’s no secret that the “perfect candidate” doesn’t exist. So, when making the all-important hiring decision from a shortlist of candidates, it’s important to understand what criteria, attributes and skills are non-negotiable for the role in question, and which ones are desirable.?

Anything in the ‘essential’ column is likely to be a hard skill, such as a qualification in a particular subject or extensive experience with a certain software. Things that can be easily (and quickly) taught on the job can go into the ‘desirable’ column.?

From there, you can group your potential hires and see who ticks the most boxes. While you do want the “perfect candidate”, being too strict and making every single attribute essential could restrict your options.?

Looking beyond the CV

While a decorated CV filled with accolades and achievements might be impressive, and seemingly ideal for your business, it’s not the be all and end all. A CV is not always reliable in terms of judging someone’s ability to successfully integrate into your company.?

Don’t just look at qualifications and experience - look beyond it.

Cultural fit is integral, and never something to overlook. When you’ve finished the interview stages and you’re looking at your potential applicants, make sure to try and strike a balance.

It’s important to find the balance between the person who not only has the talent to get the job done to the best standards, but the person that will do it with the right attitude - motivating the team to do the same.?

It’s important to find the balance between the person who not only has the talent to get the job done to the best standards, but the person that will do it with the right attitude - motivating the team to do the same.?

So, make sure you understand what your company culture is and define it so the wider team also has a grasp on it. What type of environment are you trying to build, what attributes in your team have the most value and who from your shortlist emulates your culture the most?

Involve the whole team

The hiring process doesn’t need to all lie on one person’s shoulders - get the whole team involved!?

These are the people that are going to be working alongside this person everyday, and your employees can tell you a lot in terms of if they think that person is going to fit in. Also, these second opinions could highlight something about your shortlisted candidates that you didn’t even realise yourself.?

So, involve the team in the interviewing process and get your potential candidates to meet people in the office. And when it comes down to making the final decision, ask your employees who they’d ultimately choose.?

If they’re happy with both your candidate’s skill set and their ability to slot into the team, you’re onto a winner. Hiring works best as a collaborative process.

Look to the future

Of course, it goes without saying that you need to look at previous accomplishments. However, don’t make it the focus and driving force behind all your decisions. Consider the future when you’re choosing to take on from a shortlist of talented potentials.

Recognise what your objectives are and what each one of your candidates’ objectives are: do they align??

You need to make sure the applicant you choose has goals and aspirations that are compatible with yours, and envision how you see their position evolving over the course of their time with your company.?

Bring ideas to the table

Honest, open and enthusiastic are some of the best traits someone can display in an interview. So, when you’re looking at who to choose, don’t just go off of what they say, remember how they said it. If one of your applicants comes to the interview with passion and enthusiasm for the role and how they can contribute towards it, that counts for a lot.?

Voicing concrete, imaginative ideas about what they’d do in the role shows that this candidate not only understands the company and the position well, but they’re already willing to offer up solid contributions wherever possible - welcome news for your decision-making process.

Trust us to select your shortlist?

As stated, having multiple candidates to choose from is a very fortunate, but often unattainable position to reach when you set out to hire someone new. But we’re here to get you there.?

Here at Goodall Brazier, our mission is to find the strongest candidates on the market and match them with today’s finest, industry-leading companies.

After understanding your company and the type of person you’re after, we tap into our vast network of unbeatable talent, presenting you with a shortlist of skilled candidates, each one vetted by our consultants to ensure they align with your company and your goals.

From there, we’ll help you choose the perfect candidate, taking into account all of the above to ensure you select the right person to elevate your business.?

So, if you’re looking for that perfect applicant, or even looking to switch roles yourself, trust us to help pave the way for your company or your career - get in touch today to see how we can help!