Is the candidate sitting across you the right choice? This can be a difficult and yet an extremely important decision especially now during uncertain and volatile economic market conditions.

Interviewing is an integral part of the hiring process as it not only sets the tone of the company but also establishes a culture.

Hiring the wrong person is not only a major inconvenience and financial burden, it can also be very damaging to your current culture. In order to save you from that headache, we have put together some tips you can use to hire the right candidate.

1. Experiences and accomplishments

Understanding the candidate’s past experiences/outcomes can help to get insights about their strengths. Past experience of a candidate should have a 55% chance of influencing the hiring decision.

It might even be useful to focus on how the candidate has engineered their professional achievements. This can give you an idea about how the candidate works in a team and how they celebrate their victories.

When the candidate is describing their background, make sure to pay attention to their voice and body language-do they sound passionate about their work? Do they sound experienced?

2. Value Alignment

This is undoubtedly the second most important factor you should consider after experience. Culture fit can have as much as a 45% chance of influencing the decision of the hiring manager. It’s important that the candidate understands the values and culture of your company. While it’s not necessary for the candidate to believe in the same values, they should be willing to respect and adopt your organization values. This will speak volumes about the candidate’s work ethic and attitude.

3. Talk about their career journey

Understanding what has motivated the candidate to move from one job to the next is imperative. This can give you an insight into their personality and their passions. It can help you understand what is important to them and what isn’t, what they would prioritize and what they wouldn’t care about. By learning about their journey, you can start t picture them into your organization and the kind of role they would play.

4. Ask them about their life outside work

Having the relevant professional experience is great but it’s important to know what the candidate is passionate about and what their interests/hobbies are. You are more likely to collect meaningful information about the candidate through these open conversations which can help you to determine if they are the right fit.

It might even be a great idea to look through their social media profiles to get a clear idea about the type of people they are.

5. Candidate's adaptablity

The situation has changed over the past couple of months. It is important to ensure that the candidate can work in changing environment and can adapt to different styles.

Open minded and coachable candidates can be a blessing to your organization!

In the meantime, check out some brilliant candidates that we’re working with at S2M: https://www.s2m.com.au/find-talent/. One of them might just end up being your next employee!