If you use LinkedIn regularly you might have noticed they regularly ask their top ‘influencers’ a specific question – this month they’ve been asking the likes of Richard Branson and Deepak Chopra what they look for in a new hire.  This has generated some really interesting discussions on LinkedIn and just for fun, we thought we’d write our own account of what we are looking for when we interview candidates on behalf of our clients.

Hiring staff

After much discussion we came up with the following criteria:

• The candidate should get the basics right – that means they arrive on time, smartly dressed and well prepared.  They have researched the company in depth and can answer questions about them with confidence.
• The candidate is engaging – it is easy to have a conversation with them, they demonstrate passion and enthusiasm.  They answer questions with the right amount of detail without going off topic.
• They are honest – if they don’t know the answer to a question, the candidate is able to demonstrate how they would go about finding out.
• The candidate delivers what they say they are going to do.  If we require them to take a technical assessment ahead of interview, they will get it done.  If the client asks for more information, they will provide it.
• The candidate proves that they want the job.  They work hard to prepare for their interview, and demonstrate to us that they are serious about the opportunity.  This might mean bringing along evidence of relevant work they have done if appropriate, or if not, asking the right kind of questions to make sure they nail their next interview, with the client.

A candidate that ticks all of these boxes is someone that we are proud to represent to our client – and we probably won’t be all that surprised when they get offered the job.  Remember though that for every candidate we place there will be two or three others that got to the same stage in the process but were unsuccessful.  When all the candidates are strong, sometimes it just comes down to which person the client felt was the best fit for the team, or their gut instinct based on all the interviews.  If you can honestly say that you meet all the criteria above and you haven’t landed that new job yet – don’t worry, you’re on the right track and you’ll soon find that role that you’re looking for.