Building a strong team: How to identify and hire the right person

Hiring the right person for the job is essential for the success and productivity of a company. When you hire the right person, they are more likely to be efficient and effective in their work, which can lead to higher quality output and better results. In addition, hiring the right person can improve team morale and lead to lower turnover rates, as employees are more likely to stay with the company if they are fulfilled and challenged in their roles.

Hiring the right person for a job requires careful planning and consideration. This involves learning how to search for suitable candidates and evaluating their qualifications to ensure that they are suitable for the business. The process can be stressful because you will be constantly evaluated based on your hiring decisions.

You will be testing the candidates via assignments, using structured interviews to assess candidates’ interpersonal skills, technical and soft skills, experience, fit with your company culture, and also check references from previous employers and colleagues. These are some of the steps you will be following to hire the right candidate for your organization but let’s look into a more thorough guide to help you make the right decisions.

Start With A Detailed Job Description

An effective job description should draw in suitable individuals, give them information about the organization and the position they are looking for, and outline the expectations for the employee’s first year. Even though it may take some time to create an accurate and useful job description, learning how to do so is well worth the effort.

If you’re looking to hire the right person, start by writing out a detailed job description which includes

1. A breakdown of the duties and tasks. 
2. The requirements or qualifications that an individual must have in order to be considered for the role, such as relevant experience or education.
3. The specific abilities or competencies that are necessary to successfully complete the job.
4. The level of independence and responsibility that is expected in the position.

Ensure the Selection Process is Diverse and Unbiased

Managers must consciously push past the prejudice of hiring “mini-me” copies of themselves, in order to create a diverse staff. This starts from the selection process and will help eliminate implicit bias, which should be addressed at each stage.

Are you extending your network far enough? Meaning: can you reach out and hire candidates from underrepresented groups?

Due to unconscious bias, many of us prefer to surround ourselves with like-minded and similar individuals who share our abilities and appearance, thus ending up hiring candidates who complement our ideas.

Look out for candidates who have exceptional skills that make them stand out from the crowd and are also useful for the organization. So before interviewing these applicants in person, conduct a preliminary phone interview. In this sense, you can evaluate an individual based on the content of their response, rather than their appearance.

Assess alignment with Company Culture

When hiring, it’s essential to assess a candidate’s alignment with your organized company culture. A person who is not aligned will not perform well and may even be counterproductive. If a candidate has a different work style than the rest of your team, they can create friction and conflict in the office environment.

The best way to assess alignment is to ask questions about the candidate’s values and beliefs. You can also ask them to share some examples from their past that demonstrated those values or beliefs. 

If the company has a culture that values creativity and innovation, it would be useful for you to know if the candidate is willing to go outside of their comfort zone to try something new or innovative. 

Give Equal Importance to Technical And Soft Skills

Technical skills are the foundation for most of the jobs in today’s workplace, but soft skills are just as important. According to a LinkedIn article on steps to assess candidates’ soft skills, 92% of recruiters claim that hiring for soft skills is just as crucial as hiring for technical skills. They are often referred to as “people skills,” and they are essential for creating a positive work environment. 

Often employers wipe soft skills out of the equation when hiring, but these skills help employees get along with others and resolve conflicts effectively. It is necessary to evaluate soft skills because people with wide-ranging soft skill expertise can:

• Effortlessly function as a team
• cultivate enduring connections with others
• Increase their output
• help the business expand
• Stay with the company longer and succeed in a leadership position

Assess for remote readiness if hiring for remote roles

Schedule flexibility, location flexibility, spending more time with family, and not having to commute are valued by workers. The retention of more employees improved productivity, and exposure to far broader talent pools all benefit the organization. To be a great remote worker, an employee needs to be self-directed and disciplined. They should also be able to communicate well on screen, as well as via phone, video chat, or email. But before you hire someone for a remote role, you need to know how to assess soft skills that could make someone great to your remote team, in addition to the required technical skills.

To assess remote readiness, ask questions along these lines:

• How do you stay motivated in scenarios where there is no direct supervision?
• How do you keep a healthy work-life balance?
• Share examples of managing work remotely by minimizing distractions or interruptions

Assess response to an unanticipated line of probing

To assess a candidate’s response to an unanticipated line of probing, it is important to pay attention to several factors. First, consider the content of their response. Do they provide a thoughtful and well-reasoned answer, or do they appear to be avoiding the question or giving a superficial answer? It can also be helpful to pay attention to the candidate’s body language and tone of voice, as these can give insights into their comfort level and honesty. It is also important to consider the context of the conversation and the overall impression the candidate gives. Is their response in line with the values and goals of the organization, and do they demonstrate a willingness to be open and transparent? Overall, a strong response to an unanticipated line of probing will be honest, and well-reasoned, and demonstrate an understanding of the organization’s values and goals.

Get A Second Opinion

You may be doing a good job of screening candidates for hire, but there’s always room for error. It’s easy to get caught up in someone who seems perfect on paper or during an interview, but once they start working, things might not work out so well.

To ensure the best hiring decision, it is advisable to have multiple people assess each candidate before making a final decision. This can be achieved by having hiring managers arrange for other managers and team members to meet with the candidates and provide their perspectives on whether the candidate would be a suitable fit for the team.

Trust Your Instincts

While it is important to consider objective factors when hiring a candidate, such as their skills, experience, and qualifications, it is also important to trust your instincts. Your instincts can often provide valuable insights into a candidate’s fit for the role and the organization. If you have a gut feeling that something is off or that the candidate may not be the right fit, It’s crucial to pay attention to your gut instincts and follow them if you suspect something is odd or that the applicant might not be a good fit. However, it’s crucial to be conscious of any prejudices you could have and take them into account when assessing a candidate.

It is also a good idea to seek out additional perspectives and to get input from others on the hiring team to help ensure a well-rounded and objective assessment of the candidate. Ultimately, trusting your instincts can be a valuable tool in the hiring process, but it should be used in conjunction with other objective considerations to ensure a fair and thorough assessment of the candidate.

Get Details Beyond the Basics From References

When hiring the right person, it’s important to go beyond just looking at the basics listed on their resume or in their references. This includes asking for a cover letter. A cover letter is more about what they can do for you now. If you don’t ask for one, it may be assumed that it’s not important enough to share with you. Ask specific questions about things like punctuality, teamwork skills, communication skills, and more so you can get an idea of how they work in real-life situations as opposed to on paper or in interviews where they might try harder than usual just to impress you!

Ask about other jobs they’ve held and why they left them or were fired from them (if applicable). This tells you how reliable and responsible they are outside of work too — not just at their current job. To get a more comprehensive understanding of a candidate, consider asking for specific examples of their past work and how they have used their skills. Look for signs that they align with your company values and culture and have the potential to take on new responsibilities in the future. By considering these factors and asking targeted questions, you can make a more informed hiring decision.

To hire the ideal candidate for the job, it is essential to clearly define the role and its requirements, source a diverse pool of candidates, conduct thorough interviews and background checks, and make an informed decision based on the needs of the company and the strengths of the candidate. By following these steps, you can confidently bring on a new team member who will thrive in the role and contribute to the success of your organization.

At Talent500, our team of experts and network of highly skilled professionals are here to help you build your global team in over 50 countries. Ready to take the first step? Set up a consultation with our team here.