How to Choose Between Two Strong Job Candidates

How to Choose Between Two Strong Job CandidatesHow to Choose Between Two Strong Job CandidatesHeres an interesting (and enviable) dilemma for employers When two outstanding candidates are vying for the same position at your firm and they have been neck and neck throughout the recruitment process, how do you decide which rolle to hire?Many employers today struggle when conducting a candidate search because skilled talent is in short supply. But once in a great while, something amazing happens You hit the hiring jackpot. You come across two outstanding candidates whose resumes stand above the crowd. Even better, they both bewerberinterview well. In fact, you could see yourself hiring either one of them.Its a fantastic problem to have until you realize you literally cant decide which person to hire. Youre paralyzed by the thought of making the wrong choice.But the longer you wait to make your decision, the greater the risk of losing one or both candidates to another employer. So how do you make the right choice when you come to this hiring crossroads? And how can you do it quickly? Here are three strategies to considerTake a long-term viewYou are hiring to address an immediate need at your firm, but dont ignore the future. Look beyond the requirements for the open position and examine each candidates potential to grow at your firm over time. For example, does one candidates leadership potential stand out more than the others? Or does one of the candidates have knowledge or skills in an area that isnt essential for the job at hand but could nonetheless add value to your business?FIND YOUR NEXT GREAT HIREThink about fit with the corporate cultureThis is an important consideration in any hiring situation. However, employers dont always devote as much time as they should to assessing whether a candidate will fit well and thrive in their companys work environment - especially once that exciting new-job feeling subsides. One strategy for gauging fit with the schreibst ube culture is to introduce potential hires to your team before extending an offer. It could be as part of the interview process or more informally as a quick meet and greet. Getting others opinions on how a potential hire might mesh with the team and workplace culture can be very valuable.Assess both interest and enthusiasmYouve interviewed both candidates - probably more than once. Looking back on those meetings, which person seemed to be the most engaged in the process? Who asked the most questions? Who asked more insightful questions? How quickly did each person follow up with you after the interview? And, just as important, what is your gut feeling about which individual seemed to want the job the most? As you reflect on these things, its likely you will identify the more interested and enthusiastic candidate, even if its only a hairsbreadth difference between the two.Seize this rare opportunity (if it makes good sense)If youve weighed all the above factors and still cant deci de which job candidate to choose, heres another option Hire both.Of course, that can be easier said than done. The decision depends a great deal on the budget available to you and the structure and needs of your team. But if you have the means, its worth considering.The reason is simple Good people are hard to find and no company will suffer from having too many of them on board. The needs of your business can change rapidly, and you may find yourself on the hunt for another hire before long. At that point, though, you may not be as lucky as you were this time around.Just be koranvers that your decision is sustainable. There needs to be enough work to keep both hires engaged and feeling like their contributions make a difference. A good starting place is to think about projects that have been pushed to the back burner because your team doesnt have the time to devote to them. Could one of the new hires help move these initiatives forward? Could they reduce the workload for other empl oyees who are overloaded or close to reaching that point?If you ultimately decide the best course of action is to extend only one job offer at this time, keep in touch with the candidate you dont hire. Connect on LinkedIn and check in with the person occasionally to pass along news about the company and get updates on their career. You never know when your next hiring need will arise. Paul McDonald Paul McDonald is senior executive director at Robert Half. He writes and speaks frequently on hiring, workplace and career management topics. Over the course of more than 30 years in the recruiting field, McDonald has advised thousands of company leaders and job seekers on how to hire and get hired.McDonald joined Robert Half in 1984 as a recruiter for financial and accounting pro fessionals in Boston, following a public accounting career with Price Waterhouse. In the 1990s, he became president of the cowboyfilm United States overseeing all of the companys operations in the region. McDonald become senior executive director of Robert Half Management Resources in 2000, and assumed his current role in 2012. He earned a bachelors degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from St. Bonaventure University in New York.