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Employers are always trying to find the right employees to help enhance their workplace. Many candidates can appear as viable candidates when taking a quick glance at their resumes. Employers should really take the time to consider, ‘can they interview well and will they be an overall good fit in the company?’ The interview process is stressful enough, but here are some questions employers should ask themselves before deciding which candidate is the best fit. The best way to ensure management selects the right candidate is to find a balance between qualified and best fit.

• Does the candidate make a good fit with the company culture?

Candidates might come into an interview being overly qualified for a position and turn out to not be as willing to learn or grow into their new role. Great candidates interview daily, but only the right candidates get hired. No matter how qualified candidates are, some still seem to miss the mark when it comes to company culture. Both employers and recruiters should only want team players in their company. These players will only enhance the company culture and never take away from it. For managers, it can be hard to indicate how willing a candidate is able to work with the rest of the team until they are in the actual role. It is encouraged that hiring managers put their candidates through job simulations. This will help managers get a sense of how well they interact with the other team members and deal with stress.

• Will they have what it takes to complete the job?

When interviewing and vetting potential hires it is imperative to find a way to force the candidate out of his or her comfort zone. This is so managers are able to observe how well they act and communicate when under duress. Employers will not be able to tell whether their new hire has what it takes to keep their head in the game and complete the job, without seeing the way that he or she reacts when facing adversity in the interview process. Managers can invite a handful of candidates with the same or similar qualifications. Everyone who gets invited for another round of interviews should be able to verbally explain to the hiring managers their past experience and articulate how they plan to come out on top if given the position. There can be many qualified candidates, but as we previously stated, it is not about hiring the most qualified candidate, it is about hiring the right candidate. The right candidate is different for every company, but one attribute that the right candidate always has is the ability to combat stress appropriately and stay on top of their ‘A game’ no matter the situation.

• How could the candidate add to the leadership and Management styles?

When hiring managers are in the middle of an interview process, it is important for them to ask their candidates’ growth potential. It is vital that managers ask the applicants how much they are willing to grow once welcomed into the company. This will help set the new employees up for success and help differentiate the right candidates from the less driven candidates. It is also a good indication to see how driven the candidate is for eventually taking over a leadership role. It is important to note, that at the time of hire, some candidates might be slightly under-qualified for a future leadership position, but show promise to be a great fit and inspiring towards others.

• How well is the candidate able to communicate with the entire team?

Hiring the most qualified candidate should be the number one goal, but what if that most qualified candidate doesn’t fit well with the team? Ultimately the team is what’s going to make this process work and get the job done. “Hiring the right people does take time, the right qualifications and a healthy dose of experience. The most important factor when building our team, it’s their attitude.” Jason Yau, VP of E-Commerce & General Manager of Canvas People. Communication is a good indicator to see if this new hire is going to be a good fit in their new work environment. This can be tough because the interview process may not reveal how well the candidate is, in fact, going to work with the team. The candidate can check off all the qualification boxes, but team fit factor should be a major consideration. The cohesiveness of a work team outweighs the strengths of a single individual. Like mentioned before, communication skills can gauge how they will work with the team.

• Concluding thoughts

 At the end of the day, you have to trust your gut when it comes to hiring. Whoever you think is the best fit for the position, go with it. Going back and forth between candidates will drive you crazy. The person making the decision should have a good sense regarding fit. We can look at resumes, cover letters, metrics, etc. all day long, but qualifications and best fit should be the priority.

Author Bio

Carolyn Krokus is a contributor for 365 Business Tips and can be found enhancing blogs by writing lively and relevant content. She is a professional digital marketer, which has helped with branding and implementing new strategies.