How Not to Lose Good Candidate

Hiring requires an individual approach, and even the best techniques are not universal. If a person feels relaxed during the interview, it does not mean that he or she is open and telling the truth and the one who looks worried hides something.

At the earliest stage of looking through resumes do not look for those that match some standard, or refuse those with mistakes in format or wording. Better try to imagine the candidate, estimate his or her experience and skills. Not everyone can present themselves properly, but if a specialist has spent ten years in a company of a similar profile, it shows much more than just well-described achievements on paper.

Another unfortunate trend relates to conducting an interview when HR department just adopts a few simple techniques from different methodologies. Interestingly, experienced job seekers quickly learned the rules of the game: they politely react to a stressful situation, enthusiastically tell about their previous workplace and demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the new employer. However, the reality is that such candidates usually lack the knowledge and the experience; in a real conflict situation, he or she starts to panic and make mistakes, which does not inspire confidence in clients. It is in that moment when the recruiter remembers a declined candidate who in response to a stress interview folded his hands on his chest and asked: "How dare you?"

Joyce King, an HR expert: "Job seekers of older age often give up looking for a job, despair or agree to positions way below their qualifications. The reason is that not all recruiters are able to appreciate such employees, and it is a big mistake."

Those candidates are positively distinguished from younger colleagues by many qualities, especially a high degree of responsibility. In a difficult situation, they are ready to work day and night, with all their heart sharing the common goal. They will single-handedly pull the team out of the overflow, even though they will be unlikely to pass the Team Effectiveness Assessment or explain what team building is. They do not only work to achieve results but also become role models for young employees, setting the bar quite high."

Such specialists are serious about themselves and won’t pass a stress test. But they don’t need it because they simply do not find themselves in stressful situations. And how will these short-spoken unsmiling people work with customers? Easy. They inspire confidence with their seriousness, solidity, and reliability. If some of the company's clients are people of a similar character, they do not need a "young, energetic, stress resistant manager with a positive outlook on life"; they prefer to communicate with the concise, thorough person.

This type of candidates prefers to speak briefly and to the point, so before the meeting, carefully read his or her resume and make notes on exactly what you would like to clarify. But do not stretch out this part of the interview because in front of you is not the person who will be happy to discuss different scenarios or solve “starred” puzzles.

Here is what tells about the work with such candidates Maria Hernandez, recruitment specialist in a real estate agency: "I often have to select candidates 40-50 years of age and older, because when it comes to buying houses or renting offices, customers prefer to communicate with solid people. This is understandable because in our industry there are quite a lot of scammers and fraudsters. Often such candidates negatively perceive the fact that the person conducting the interview is much younger than them, so I always try to defuse the situation. Immediately I inform that this is only the first part of the interview and after that, they will be further assessed by their immediate supervisor, whereas my task is to observe some formalities. This gives the opportunity to build further dialogue without pressure."

You must understand: you too will be judged. A great candidate always has the opportunity to choose from many companies, and you should try become the chosen one.

HR-experts always tell candidates that there is no place for the lateness but, at the same time, allow themselves to show disrespect to other people's time. If you hold up an interview or constantly interrupts the candidate, be prepared that a good specialist will never come back to you.

Try to provide quick feedback: even if the person did not get the job, gently tell him or her about it. The candidates of this type tend to love truth and justice, therefore, if they do not receive a timely response, they will not be too lazy to write a negative review that can greatly impair a company's reputation. Amanda Willis, a career consultant and a job search mentor in the company SearchCoach and the editor in chief of the magazine "CareerLike" advises: "You can send a written refusal by e-mail, although it is not always easy, so the best option for me is to inform candidates during interviews about the number of days they can expect a positive response. At least people know that if they didn’t get the call within two days the answer is probably no. But a candidate can still call and clarify."

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Do not judge a specialist by the ability to pass an interview, evaluate qualities important for the job, and then you will not miss the candidate who can leave competitors far behind.