Interviewing Candidates: Qualities To Look For

If we cruise through LinkedIn, we'll notice that there are a lot of tips for jobseekers to find the best job or company for them. Most of them overlap, and some of them have really different ideas but either way, they are generally a good read.

How about finding the best candidate? That's something we don't see every day do we? Well, read on as we decipher how to pick the right one for your organisation. Before we start, do mind that this is written for a general job interview. Read it with a pinch of salt.

1. Attitude

In a study by Cambridge University, people with growth mindset (often associated with lower group of IQ people) are more successful than people with a fixed mindset (associated with high IQ people). Woa woa woa, no, we're not saying just dump the high-achieving candidate out of the window right away and shortlist the two-pointers, no! Our point is, when you're interviewing the candidates, focus more on their work attitude and their outlook on life generally. Why? Because they might not be able to do the job perfectly initially, but they'll go over the hills to improve to achieve just that, and beyond!

Ask questions like:

• Have you encountered any difficult situation? Tell us how you resolve that. (Look for honesty and their effort to overcome the problem)
• (If the candidate's CGPA is low) Can you tell us why your CGPA is low? (Again, honesty, and see whether they add any effort to compensate their shortcomings in that regard)

2. Interpersonal Skills

Or in a less complicated phrase; how you deal with other people. This includes how well you listen to others, how do you respond to it, and what consideration have you given before answering it. This will also reflect the candidate's empathy because in order to do well in all of the above, the candidate has to know other people's situation.

You can ask questions like:

• Have you ever had an argument or a clash of idea before with your co-workers? Can you tell us about it and how did you come to a consensus? (Listen to how they resolve it, is it the best thing one can do? Listen for the justification)
• You have a high-performing co-worker who delivers everytime. But he is abrasive towards other people. How do you deal the situation with him? (Look for empathic behaviour. Putting oneself in other people's shoes is a good quality)
• Your co-worker asked you to help him. At the same time, you have a tight deadline yourself. How do you handle the situation? (Again, look for empathy and a rational solution)

3. Effective Communication

90% of effective communication is non-verbal. Most of it goes to the thought processing before you say something out loud. The main objective of a communication or shall we say the definition of effective communication is to understand and make people understand our messages.

Hence, when you are trying to find a candidate, find someone who can do just that. One who can process your questions and answer accordingly. One who you understand when he/she speaks. You might discount this saying that the technical skills of this person heavily outweigh his/her communication skills thus you are ready to overlook this. Mind you; you'll be working with them for a long time. You might take it lightly now but in the long run, it will really, really hurt you (or your organisation).

To find out their proficiency in this area, ask questions such as:

• Tell us about a project you have worked on before. (look for thought organisation and method of conveying the message; do they give you enough information for you to get the picture they are painting?)
• This is not a question, but see if the candidate asks you to clarify things when you give them a complicated/situational/theoretical question. A good answer can only be derived from a good understanding of the question.
• If they make too many assumptions, consider this a red flag.

4. Experience

Ah... the devil fresh graduates have always despised... But, no matter how much they hate the questions related to it, we all have to admit that a level of experience is kind of needed when it comes to hiring. Why? Well, it gives confidence and a little peace of mind that's why!

But, people always misinterpret what experience really is. As hiring managers, or recruiters, we have to look for the candidates' experience. If they are still in that group of people who think that experience is only counted when they work in a business establishment, tell them that's not all. Try to pull it out from them. People with similar experience to the job's responsibility is more likely to do the job better.

Consider asking:

• Based on our requirements and job's responsibility, would you say you have related experience to them? Can you tell us about it? (Look for the relation between the job's responsibility and the experience the candidate is explaining)
• How would your experience in XXXX contribute to your work here? (Look for the same thing)
• Avoid asking them to just rant on their whole experience up until now. Ask directed questions that will work to your objective.

5. Technical Skills

Okay, this might not be relevant to some jobs, but we all know the majority of jobs nowadays require some technical skills. At this point, the candidates should already know the technical skills required to fill in the position and the fact that you called the candidate in shows that he/she checks most of your list items. But, how do you assess the candidate's level of proficiency? Anybody can put anything in their resume, but they can't worm out their way in an interview can they?

Try asking:

• Can you tell us a time when you use X skill to deliver your job successfully? (Make sure they stay focused on that particular skill because that's what you're looking for)
• Give situational questions. Avoid asking a yes or no question. (Give them some time to think, reassure them not to feel pressured). This question will also test their problem-solving skills. Boom! two birds, one stone.

6. Career Goals

Career goals are one aspect that is overlooked by many recruiters and hiring managers. People come and go and that's normal. Discounting toxic workplace, stress, being underpaid and bad bosses, people primarily move because they think that they will be more useful and utilised elsewhere; a place where they'll be more appreciated, by extension.

Hence, that's why it's important for you as the interviewer to find out the candidates' goals and see if they align with your expectations and plans for the position. If you can get the perfect Venn diagram, that's ideal, but hey, settle for most is better than none, right?

Consider asking:

• What is your short term goal in your career? (Find out whether what they want is what you can offer them. If you can match it, there's a high probability that you two will be happy working with each other)
• What do you aspire to be? (This information is important for you when you want to take in a permanent member. Hiring and exiting are painstaking; you would want to minimise it as much as you can. Grow with them, not replace them)
• Why are you considering leaving your current company and joining us? (this will tell you what drives them in their career. If they are fresh grads, then just remove the first part of the question)

Fuh..!! You made it, you actually made it to the end! This means you really are determined to find the best fit for your team, and that deserves an applaud. Remember, you're not just employing another replaceable person, no. You are finding someone who'll be contributing to the growth of your establishment and spending all that time hiring should have costed you a lot. So, make it worth it, do it right.

As always, good luck.

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