How to recognise potential when interviewing
posted 09 Jul 24
Finding a perfect candidate for your company is not an easy feat, a lot more goes into ensuring you’ve got the right person than confirming they have relevant experience. Perhaps you have several applications from similar levels of high-calibre talent, how do you determine which candidate has the most potential to succeed in the role and at your company?
Discover some basic hiring principles to help you identify the most suitable candidate during the interview process when the ‘perfect candidate’ isn’t immediately jumping out at you. Â
Define your non-negotiablesÂ
When the HR department draws up an ideal candidate profile, the result can often be unachievable and out of touch with what talent is available in the market. Instead, you must be objective and data-driven when defining your non-negotiables. Â
Look at the employees you have doing the same role and ask what the top performers have in common; the answers will provide more insight into the role requirements and desired characteristics. Then review all elements of the role you’ve deemed essential, including qualifications - this will help you see more clearly your real non-negotiables. For instance, it may not always be the right decision to discount someone who has gaps in their history or doesn’t hold a specific job title or degree. Major companies, including Google and Delta Airlines, have removed the invisible barrier degree requirements create to attract qualified talent without limiting themselves. Â
Assess attitude and work ethic
Knowledge can be acquired, and skills can be developed. Therefore, if an otherwise promising candidate lacks a particular skill or qualification, don't write them off! Candidates with the right attitude and the capacity to grow and learn can overcome the other challenges.  Â
To understand if you have the resources available to develop these skills, find out whether others at your company have ever learned that skill and are successful.
It’s also worthwhile to ask candidates to describe how they approach learning something new to identify their appetite to develop in the role.  Â
Use real-world scenarios
Of course, interviews may not be enough to help choose a successful candidate, let alone rule out a flawed candidate. Giving candidates a real-world scenario or an assessment which mirrors a daily activity required of the role is a great way to assess their knowledge, relevant transferable skills, and potential to learn.
According to the Harvard Business Review, of employers with over 100 employees use alternative assessment tools such as aptitude and personality tests for external hiring.
Candidates who may not meet all the listed qualifications often bring unique strengths, experiences, and perspectives that can contribute to the role in unexpected ways. Work assessments also uncover hidden talents or capabilities not apparent from their CV that you could leverage within the role.
Adopt skills-based hiring
Companies are increasingly embracing skills-based hiring, using a series of interview questions to reveal a candidate's proficiencies in the workplace. Instead of competency-based interview questions that measure your ability to do a specific job, they focus on soft and hard skills and allow the interviewer to learn more about general skills that make a good team member, listener, communicator, or leader. Skills-based questions also allow you to learn more about a person’s personality to decide if they are a good cultural fit.  Â
Focus your interview questions on identifying the following skills: adaptability, communication, decision-making, leadership, customer service, and interpersonal skills. Â
Deciding whether to hire a candidate who lacks relevant industry experience or has an unconventional background but has come across as excellent at interviews, is not easy. The best you can do is figure out who is closest to the level required for the job and look at who is most likely to develop into the role with the right type of support and training. Remember to be data-driven in your approach, question your non-negotiables to decide if they are truly relevant, take the opportunity to complete assessments, and understand their soft and hard skills. Making more informed hiring decisions will benefit your company and candidates in the long term and will avoid bad hires, especially for roles that are integral to your team.
For personalised support with your recruitment needs, please contact our dedicated recruitment specialists at Search.
