How to know if you’ve found the right candidate for the job

No one wants to spend hours on the hiring process only to have a candidate fall short of what was expected. 

Hiring errors can be expensive, time-consuming and disappointing. Here, experts explain how to find the right talent at every step of the recruitment process, and which green (and red) flags to look for. 

SEEK research shows 67% of hirers say they would be likely to hire a candidate who demonstrates passion for the role but doesn’t have the required years of experience.

Look for candidates who show enthusiasm and passion for the organisation’s vision, says Kate Coomber, Head of Talent and Employer Branding at Cornerstone Medical Recruitment (cmr).

Candidates should be able to identify how they are aligned to your culture and values, she says. “They can demonstrate why they would be great in this role and for the business and they give clear examples of their value-add.”

It’s also a great sign when candidates show enthusiasm by making an extra effort to stand out, such as calling after they’ve submitted their application, Coomber says. 

Look for candidates who bring a growth mindset, self-awareness and emotional intelligence, says Jessica Gibson-Jones, Vice President Talent Acquisition ANZ at Toll Group. 

“You can't teach attitude, but you can teach a skill. Asking candidates questions around values that align to the organisation is absolutely critical. They're almost as critical as competency-based questions.

“We’re not looking for robots. What we’re looking for are people that can come into an organisation aligned to our values and achieve impact and outcomes for the organisation.”

Coomber says respect and kindness are key green flags and these qualities come through in several ways. 

“It sometimes can be that they talk about ‘we’ instead of ‘I’, if you need a team player for example.

“They also respect the interview process – they turn up on time, dress appropriately and behave in a professional manner.”

Communication style reveals a lot about a candidate, Gibson-Jones says. A big green flag is when a candidate can craft responses to questions that show their competency and capability within the role, she says.

Gibson-Jones looks for candidates who use the STAR method – situation, task, action and result – to answer questions. It’s still a tried and tested way of breaking down an answer, she says.  

“A candidate who is able to craft really strong, robust interview answers is something that I always look for, because the best predictor of future behaviour is past performance or past behaviour.”

Read cover letters, too, says Gibson-Jones, because they add another layer of context and show how the candidate communicates. 

Coomber says if your business is new, look for candidates who show an ability to be resourceful. “Candidates should be able to give key examples of how they’ve identified a problem and found a solution to that problem.”

A major red flag is when a candidate repeatedly blames their previous employer or manager as a reason for leaving a role, Gibson-Jones says. If it’s a pattern of behaviour it may show a lack of self-awareness, she says. 

A candidate who hasn’t researched the company or understood what the business does should raise alarm bells, Gibson-Jones says.

“If a candidate can't take the time to learn about me as an employer before I interview them, that tells me that there's a low level of care and buy-in, that makes me less inclined to want to continue the recruitment process with them.”

Gibson-Jones says a new type of red flag has been brought about by the rise of AI which can easily be used to write resumés that are not completely factual. 

Hirers need to make sure the information that candidates have provided is credible and honest, she says. “It’s a red flag if you notice that what they say in an interview doesn't match the resumé, or they've got a gap in their resumé that can't be explained.” 

Having candidates send a video with their application on SEEK is one way of understanding their communication style, Coomber says.

Ensure that candidates are comfortable in interviews so they can be genuine and speak openly, she says. “What drives them, who are they as a person, what are their goals and motivations in life.”

Coomber says the way a candidate responds to questions during the entire recruitment process will give you a good indication of how they might interact within your team.

“Every interaction throughout the process should help in your decision-making:  their response times, communication style, accuracy, punctuality and attitude.”

Try to get an understanding of the reasons behind any gaps and why a candidate has moved on from each opportunity, Coomber says. “Try and identify patterns of various job changes. Dig deep and understand the true reason and if the reason was valid.

Remember that gaps in resumés aren’t necessarily a bad thing, Gibson-Jones says. “A red flag used to be a gap in a CV, which was seen as people jumping from job to job.”

But hirers need to consider that in the current economy, gig workers move from one short-term role to another, she says. “I encourage all hiring managers to understand the context behind the movements of the individual.”

Look at job-seeking platforms to check job history for accuracy and that the dates align, Coomber says.

And do Google and social searches – because your customers will do the same of your organisation and employees, she says. 

“It’s important that you have done this too within the recruitment process, to ensure candidates align with your company values, on a personal and professional level.”

A conversation with a candidate is worth far more than judging someone based on their resumé, says Gibson-Jones, who always asks candidates to talk about the favourite role they’ve ever had, and why. 

“It's critical that we're designing hiring processes that identify the right people with the right values, intentions, behaviours, skills and competencies.” Gibson-Jones suggests asking questions such as:

• Tell me about this move, what worked and what didn't? 

• What were your reasons for leaving?

• What were your learnings in this role?

• What did you love about that role? 

• What didn't resonate for you in this role?

And remember that skills and experience aren’t everything, Coomber says. 

“Don’t look for the ‘unicorn’ – the person who ticks every single box. Be flexible in your criteria. Have a list of must-haves versus nice-to-haves.”

Looking for green and red flags can help pinpoint key qualities of great candidates. Observing communication style and attitude and asking the right questions around job history will help you find candidates who are best suited to the role and to your culture.

Source: Independent research conducted by Nature of behalf of SEEK, interviewing 4,000 Kiwis annually.