Have you ever been responsible for hiring a new candidate, only to realize it’s more challenging than it seems? Finding the right talent is one of the most critical decisions an organization can make, and conducting a strong interview is key to identifying top candidates.
We recently ran a LinkedIn poll asking, “What is the #1 quality you look for when interviewing candidates?” 27% of respondents chose interpersonal skills, 23% said relevant experience, another 27% chose problem-solving abilities, and the remaining 23% selected enthusiasm for the role.
While these responses provide a quick glimpse into the essential qualities interviewers are looking for, effective interviewing goes beyond just checking these boxes. In this blog, we’ll explore how to assess the key candidate traits you should be assessing and what additional factors interviewers should consider to make smarter hiring decisions.
How to Spot a Good Candidate in an Interview
Here are some crucial traits to observe when you conduct an interview.
1. Interpersonal Skills
Pay attention to how well candidates listen, communicate, and display positive body language. Strong interpersonal skills often indicate that candidate will collaborate well with your team.
2. Relevant Experience
A candidate’s resume will provide an overview of their experience, but your role as the interviewer is to discuss it in depth to ensure their experience is relevant to the role so they can quickly adapt and make an impact once they are hired.
3. Problem-Solving Abilities
No organization wants to hire an individual who cannot confidently navigate job-related problems. This can be a difficult skill to assess in an interview, but ask candidates to share real-world examples of how they solved specific problems in their previous roles for insight into their processes and outcomes.
4. Enthusiasm for the Role
You want to hire someone who expresses genuine enthusiasm throughout their interview because enthusiasm is a predictor that they will be more motivated and committed to their job than a candidate who displays indifference.
5. Cultural Fit
Inquire about their ideal company culture and work environment, then share insights about your organization’s culture. Let them share first to uncover their honest preferences to ensure they align with your organization’s culture.
6. Specific Achievements
Ask candidates to share specific achievements they’ve had at work, including quantitative metrics if applicable. Encourage them to elaborate on how they tackled challenges, drove results, or contributed to team success. It’s one thing for a candidate to say they excelled in their past roles; it’s another to prove it with factual data.
7. Critical-Thinking Skills
To gauge how candidates will perform in real-world situations, throw in some curveball questions to test how well they think on their feet. This isn’t necessarily about getting the “correct” answer out of a candidate – it’s more about assessing if they can think critically under pressure and approach questions with a meaningful, structured thought process.
8. Questions Being Asked
The questions a candidate asks can reveal a lot about their preparation, level of interest, and motivations. Make sure they are not just asking surface-level, generic questions they pulled from a quick online search. Candidates who take the time to research your organization and ask meaningful questions will often be more invested in the job.
Now that we’ve explored some candidate qualities to look for, let’s talk about how you should prepare for and conduct an interview to impress candidates.
How to Prepare For and Conduct an Interview
1. Stay Engaged and Adapt to the Discussion
You should avoid sticking to a rigid structure and script while interviewing. Listen to the candidate so you can discuss relevant topics and engage in a conversational dialogue to build trust and get to know them.
2. Determine Must-Haves vs. Nice-to-Haves
Make two lists to guide your candidate evaluation: one for qualifications they must have and one for traits that would be beneficial but are not required. For example, are five years of experience necessary, or could you accept three? Is it necessary to be proficient in the software your organization utilizes, or can they be taught later?
3. Align with Other Interviewers
If your organization’s hiring process requires multiple rounds of interviews with different stakeholders, make sure all interviewers align on strategy. Avoid repeating the same questions, and during panel interviews, assign topics to each interviewer in advance. This will improve the candidate experience and lead to a more comprehensive evaluation.
4. Check Your Own Unconscious Biases
Unconscious biases can cloud judgment and lead to missed opportunities or unfair evaluations. Before an interview, reflect on any biases you might have and make a concerted effort to not let them impact your decision.
5. Be Prepared to Be Interviewed
Just as you expect candidates to come prepared, you should be ready to confidently answer their questions. Study the job description and be ready to speak about your organization’s goals, expectations, team dynamics, growth opportunities, etc.
6. Maintain Professionalism
Always maintain professionalism and keep the conversation positive – even if you realize mid-interview that they aren’t the right fit for the role. Treat every interview as an opportunity to create a positive impression of your organization and to build relationships in case a candidate fits a future role.
Making the Decision
Once interviews conclude, consider using the following methods to guide your decision:
- Weighted Scoring System: Assign scores to different criteria based on importance.
- Pros and Cons List: Outline which qualities you liked and disliked about the candidate.
- Gut Feelings with Data Validation: Listening to your gut feelings about a candidate can be helpful, but make sure you also have data to back up your hiring decision
By enhancing your interviewing techniques and assessing candidates holistically, you can make better hiring decisions and build the workforce you deserve. Successful hires lead to successful organizations, so be sure to use this guide to master your interview skills today.
