Top 3 Features to Look for When Interviewing Job Candidates

While interviewing job candidates, employers should look for attributes such as confidence. Of course, confidence encompasses many areas, so it is helpful to have some other traits to look for as well. Below are a few tips from recruiting agencies.

1. Confidence

So what exactly is confidence? The bottom line is that if you’re not sure candidates were confident, they probably weren’t. Confident candidates know about the job and the company. They dress well and act genuine. They look you in the eyes and smile. They don’t demean others; in fact, they talk positively about their colleagues and supervisors, whether current or former. They’re also fine admitting their flaws and weaknesses because they are confident in their abilities to do the job.

2. Curiosity

An interview can be humming along, except after it ends, you realize the job candidate did not ask a single question. This is, rightfully, a deal breaker for many employers. Asking questions shows that candidates have critical thinking skills, curiosity, and self-awareness. More than that, the questions they ask should be insightful. Questions such as, “How often can I be late without getting in trouble?” raise questions about someone’s work ethic. Likewise, “What’s the salary?” when it has already been published is not a good question.

3. Consistency

A slight discrepancy here and there might not be a big deal; for example, if a job candidate says he started a job in 2003 but his resume says 2002, simple forgetfulness may be at issue, especially given that 2002 and 2003 were a while ago. But getting job titles, achievements, awards, or names of companies wrong? That could signal a candidate was exaggerating or lying on a resume.

Interviewing job candidates is often challenging, but looking for traits such as consistency, curiosity, and confidence should help your company source high-caliber folks. After all, experienced recruiting agencies look for these characteristics—if anyone knows about hiring, they do.

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