More to a Candidate than a Good Resume

As employers, an easy trap to fall into sometimes is falling in love with a prospective recruit based solely on their resume and experience. Experience on paper is one thing, the substance behind the resume is something else. A resume won’t necessarily provide employers with the individual’s motivation and drive, or even how they fit within your existing culture.

Here are a few things to keep an eye on during the recruiting process to find out if the applicant really has what it takes to work for you.  

Preparation

How prepared is the job applicant for the interview? Do they know anything about your company, your job, or even your culture? Do they understand the industry? What brings them into your office today?

The prep work, or sometimes the lack thereof, on the applicant side reveals quite a bit about their personal drive and what type of employee they may be. In today’s world, it’s fairly easy to research and gain as much information about a company as possible. From an applicant’s perspective, they can find out online as much as they need to know about the company, the actual office, and even the culture.

For the applicant who comes in and has done their research about your company, and maybe even about the job itself, it shows the effort they will probably put into the job once brought on board. Conversely, the applicant who comes in and knows little to nothing about your company, or even the actual office, this may say even more about them.

Personal Appearance and Arrival

Even in today’s casual world, personal appearance for a job interview is still a vital step in the interview process. Employers should expect the applicant to show up at their office dressed to impress during the interview process.

Self presentation is an important piece to the puzzle employers should still pay special attention to during the interview process. Even if your office is professional casual, employers should expect to see applicants arrive dressed for an interview in an office setting, unless the employer has told the applicant otherwise.  

As for arrival time, the old adage about arrival is never more appropriate as when it comes to an interview: fifteen minutes early is on time; on time is late. As an employer, this is never more appropriate than at the interview process. It’s not a good start if you are sitting and waiting for an applicant to arrive for their interview.  The applicant who shows up without a minute to spare is probably providing you with a warning on the type of employee they may wind up being.

Questions

Interviewing for a job is a very important step not only for the company, but it is also an important step for the recruit. Lack of any relevant questions may be a sign of an unmotivated or unimaginative person on the other side of the interview table. It should also trigger a red flag to you as to whether this person is the best for the job.

If an applicant is unable to string together a few basic questions, let alone a few in depth, thought-provoking questions, they probably aren’t worth your time, no matter how good their resume looks.

The hiring process is an investment not only on the employer, but also the applicant. If the applicant can’t invest at this stage, do you think they will really invest themselves into your company when they are staring down a project deadline?

Recruiting Partner

There’s quite a bit that goes into the recruiting process than just reviewing and finding the best resume that is submitted into your office. As employers, you should not only be looking for the right candidate to do the job, but also you should be looking for the right person to represent your company. Partnering with a recruiting specialist may be the best option for your company when it comes to finding the ideal candidates for your job openings.

Kane Partners specializes in recruiting and finding the top candidates available for top positions in your firm. Our expert team of recruiters will work to find the ideal candidate for your team. With our ten-step hiring process, we ensure we fully understand your business, your team, and the type of employee you seek.

Kane Partners will find the right candidate for your position and set your team off on the right direction. Contact Kane Partners today to find out how we can help you find the next big thing for your company.