3 Things You Can Do When Deciding Between Great Candidates

There will be times in your recruitment life where you are faced with the agonizing decision of choosing between two qualified, and seemingly great candidates for a role. Some would agree that this is a beautiful problem to have, but it seldom feels that way. Yes, you will get the rockstar employee, but chances are, you will need to damage another relationship with an otherwise excellent candidate (whom you might possibly contact again when another opening comes). So, what steps can recruiters take to choose between two great candidates?

1. Go back, re-focus, prioritize

When you’re having a difficult time deciding on who to hire, go back to beginning, like way into the start. Take a look at the job description again and re-focus on the top critical skills that each candidates possesses and which of those skills could be a bigger asset to help and grow your organization. What are your organization’s top priority now? They might be equally qualified, yes, but your candidates are likely to have a different balance of skills—one candidate may be more suited to the role than the other.

2. Go the extra mile

Red Adair once said, “If you think hiring a professional is expensive, try hiring an amateur.” If you need to go the extra mile to help you decide who to hire, don’t be deterred by the potential cost and administrative hassle of an additional interview. This could be like a traditional job interview again, or go all out and allow them to join in with weekly meetings, interact and engage with colleagues, and superiors. This process may help to see which candidates best suites your company’s mission and culture, which will eventually make it easier for you to select the right one.

3. Get them excited

A way to do this is to simply ask them how excited and enthusiastic they are about the job. However, it will be more effective if you get them to show their enthusiasm. How? Let them participate in a meeting or let them present to the team. Gauge their enthusiasm by looking if they appear willing, of if they make proactive suggestions? You may also want to see and consider what challenges they have had to overcome in the interview process. How much effort did they put into the job opportunity? Did they drive all the way from Batangas for it? Did they take a leave off from their current job for the interview? It may soon become clear that one candidate is much keener than the other on the opportunity. With these three thinks in movement, as a recruiter, you must always still consider a candidate’s successful track record, past history, references, knowing how well they will mesh with management and team members. In many cases, cultural fit is the key. Because even if that candidate has everything working for him, if they won’t mesh with other team members, it’s not going to work.
Good luck on your hiring decision!

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