If you’ve been following along in our continuing series on how to hire a new employee, last month we discussed the art of conducting a job interview.

Now that the job interviews have been completed, the next step in the process is evaluating the interview candidates. In this edition of HR Smalltalk, you will learn some simple steps on how to effectively and objectively evaluate your candidates. No point spending all this time diligently conducting your employee search, just to make a snap decision in the final stages!

For more information, feel free to contact us at 604.688.3879.

Warm regards,

Cissy Pau
Clear HR Consulting

TO HIRE OR NOT TO HIRE…THAT IS THE QUESTION.

You’ve created a thorough job description. You’ve advertised your job vacancy. Applicants have been screened and interviewed. You’re now in the home stretch.

After your interviews have been completed, you need to evaluate each candidate based on their answers to your interview questions. Here are some steps you can follow to make this evaluation process easier:

1.  Determine meets/does not meet criteria.

It makes most sense to do this step when you develop your interview questions, prior to conducting your interviews, so that you are not unduly influenced. For each interview question that you ask, determine what type of answer you would expect from the candidates in order for them to “meet”, “exceed” or “not meet” the criteria for the question. How would they need to respond in order for you to say that they meet your skills, qualifications or experience requirement, to not meet your requirements, and to exceed your requirements.

2.  Evaluate each candidate.

Compare the candidates’ answers to your meets, exceeds or does not meet criteria to see how the candidate rates. One way to compare candidates would be to score each candidate on their interview responses. For example, each meets criteria response receives 5 points, each exceeds criteria response receives 10 points, and each does not meet criteria response receives 0 points. The candidate with the most points will most likely be more qualified that those with less. Although not completely scientific or fool-proof, this method will allow you to more objectively evaluate all candidates and to compare candidates with one another, and not just use your intuition.

3. Conduct reference checks.

Once you have shortlisted to one or two final candidates, you need to conduct reference checks. Employers often skip this step – this is a big mistake! A reference check allows you to verify how a candidate performed in a previous position, and gives you an opportunity to question a reference on issues that may have concerned you during the interview. This step is critical in ensuring that you get the best candidate possible, who is the best fit with your company. Conduct reference checks with previous employers. Personal references are not as relevant.

For a complimentary consultation on any of the materials covered in this newsletter, contact us at info@clearhrconsulting.com or 604.688.3879.

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