Re-Thinking the “Perfect” Hire: How To Find Your Best-Fit Hire
/If you’ve had a hard time finding the perfect fit for your open position, we understand — the struggle is real!
We know it’s crucial to your company’s success to find and hire a candidate who has the right skills, qualities, and abilities to do the job successfully. However, there is truly no such thing as a “perfect” candidate. We’ve found that choosing the best fit from the available candidate pool — rather than holding out for a perfect fit — is the only realistic goal.
In this blog, we offer a bit of insight into the current job market, as well as some strategies that may help broaden your perspective to find your best-fit hire (even if they’re not the perfect fit).
Some Market Intel To Consider
As we all know, the unemployment rate remains at a record low. It’s so low that, at any given time, there are more jobs than available workers to fill them, and a limited number of people in the right geographic area who are looking for (or open to taking on) a new job.
The candidate pool is always more limited than we’d like it to be. So striving to hire the best fit among the candidates available to you is more realistic than trying to find what you might consider to be a perfect fit.
Competition for good candidates is fierce, and it’s not always possible to compete with the benefits and perks offered by others (especially larger companies). In addition, good candidates are snapped up quickly, so many aren’t around long enough to even make it through an interview process.
But we find that, for most positions, there is a viable pool of potential hires who are more than capable of doing the job well. Making your best hire from among this pool requires:
A thorough understanding of the job you wish to fill, including the qualities a candidate needs to succeed
Insight into the current job market
An open mind to move beyond traditional requirements, shifting as needed to respond to market realities
3 Tips To Help You Find Your Best-Fit Hire
When you do some simple (yet important!) work on the front end of the hiring process, that sets the stage to help you secure, with confidence, the best available candidate.
1. Clearly Define the Position, Including Your Desired Skills and Attributes
Before you post your job ad, first define the responsibilities of the position and determine the skill sets, qualities, and abilities your new hire will need to do the job well.
What duties make up the position?
What skills or experience are critical for a candidate to have?
What are the desired attributes you’re looking for in the right candidate?
In addition, consider the level of education a candidate will need to accomplish the role. While in some cases a degree may be required for a professional position or to obtain licensure, for many jobs it isn’t necessary. If the position doesn’t necessitate a degree, leaving it off your requirements list will expand your candidate pool.
Once you’ve determined what skills and attributes you seek in a candidate, make sure your interview questions are geared toward helping you determine whether or not each candidate has those attributes.
2. Research the Market To Confirm That Viable Candidates Exist
Before finalizing a position, we suggest researching the current hiring market.
For example, take some time to look at how many jobs you’ll be competing with and whether the compensation you’re offering is competitive. If the position or your industry are particularly competitive, you may need to adjust the pay or benefits package you’re offering to secure a quality candidate.
It’s also important to consider whether you’re likely to find the skill sets you’re seeking in one person or if it would be better to split your position into multiple jobs.
For example, if your Accounts Receivable position includes staffing the reception desk or maintaining the company website, it may be difficult to find one candidate with that range of skills (or the willingness to take on all those roles). In that case, you’d have a better chance of finding viable candidates if you divide the responsibilities into multiple positions.
A little research beforehand will go a long way to helping target and attract the best fit for your position.
3. Keep an Open Mind
Finally, as you start looking for your next hire, keep an open mind!
While there may be a candidate who has the exact experience and skill set you seek, today’s job market may require that you be open to candidates with related experience.
As you expand your search to a broader pool, consider what transferable skills or similar industries might be a fit for the role. In many cases, the details of a job or a specific software can be taught, and we often find that soft skills like adaptability, problem solving, and a capacity for learning can replace limitations a candidate may have in other areas.
Choosing from a pool of candidates that don’t have the exact qualifications for the role is easier when you’ve spent time up front clarifying the skills and behaviors required for the job, then interviewing for those traits. Doing your homework to flush out the role and its requirements will serve as a compass to help you find an employee who meets your needs and thrives in their position.
We hope these tips give you insight into how to find your best-fit hire for your open position. If you’re having difficulty defining what you need and are interested in a market analysis and a review of your position, the team at Red Seat can help! Reach out to us to discuss how we can support your hiring needs.
