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How to decide between two great candidates

When two doesn’t go into one, how to decide between two great candidates.

Have you ever found yourself in the unusual situation of having two great candidates for a role?  It’s a good problem to have.

Although, it’s still a problem. While you know you’ll end up with a great new employee regardless, it’s not easy to choose between two equally qualified, talented and deserving candidates. So how do you decide?

Assessing candidates from different perspectives including testing their abilities can be great options to assist in the decision-making process.

Try these options:

Assess their soft skills

Assessing soft skills will help to clarify what a candidate can contribute to your company culture.

Communication, conflict resolution and problem-solving assist the company address issues. Creativity and critical thinking help to find new solutions. Empathy and flexibility mean staff work well in a team and get along with others.

Ask yourself, has either of the candidates highlighted instances of these, or any other important traita in the application or interview process? If not, ask the candidates for examples of when they’ve demonstrated such soft skills.

Plan for the future

While it’s obviously important to address immediate needs, thinking about the direction you want your organisation to take in the future can help to differentiate between two equal candidates.

It’s imperative to hire candidates who can support growth and take the company forward. To evaluate this, assess each candidate within the context of your current team and their individual characteristics. Can you envision one candidate making a more positive contribution to the organisation’s future than the other? Does one candidate bring with them a particularly useful or rare skill that could potentially create a new offering or solution to a problem?

Conduct some simple testing

If you still don’t have a clear winner, set a test or conduct a practical interview to see the candidates’ skills in action. Some examples of how you can test for exceptional skills include:

  • For Administrative staff, present them with a requirement to develop an Excel spreadsheet based on what is currently used.
  • For Business Development Managers, put together a short client brief and ask them to provide sound recommendations to meet it.
  • For customer service officers, put together a short list of customer issues and have them demonstrate how they’d resolve them.

It is important to get candidates to demonstrate how they operate in a real-life work setting and these types of real-life activities can really assist in determining if one candidate stands out from the other.

Need a little more support with HR but not sure where to start? We also offer a free HR Health Check – where we review all your HR documents, processes, contracts to ensure they meet HR Best Practice and most importantly legally compliant. This can be completed online by uploading your documents or via email if you prefer. We then supply a report detailing your current HR compliance and suggested changes plus list any new documents you may require.

For HR support without the hassle visit www.myhronline.com.au or to speak directly to our HR consultant call 1300 123 081.

GAP Communications started with a 3-man operation and has now grown into a National Operation of over 300 staff. People Business has been associated with our company on a consulting basis since its inception. During the turmoil of the last six years their guidance has played a crucial and integral part in the successful growth of our company. Adam Clark and his team manage to combine a client first approach to business with a down to earth humanitarian approach to the issues at hand. I can't recommend Adam and his team strongly enough.
Andrew BateyManaging Director, GAP Communications
Ausmelt Limited has approximately 50 professional qualified staff comprising mainly metallurgists and engineers. As a small company, Ausmelt does not have a full time HR Manager, opting to use the consultancy services of Adam Clark and his team. Adam has successfully work hand-in-hand with Ausmelt management to help with staff recruitment, staff development plans, performance planning and assessment, short and long term staff incentive schemes, salary benchmarking, staff termination and redundancy, counselling and job search assistance. I have been more than happy with the level of professionalism, enthusiasm and expertise that Adam and his team has provided to our Company.
Paul AbbotManaging Director, Ausmelt Limited
Adam and his team have delivered an outsourced HR solution to our company for the past 10 years. Adam is a natural fit to our organization and I now consider him part of our senior management team. Once goals are determined he is able to deliver the required outcomes in a timely and professional manner. He provides excellent advice and is always reliable. Adam also handles our recruitment needs which has saved us thousands in agency fees. In summary I would say "Highly recommended".
Rob GreenCEO, CommTel Communications Pty Ltd
Creative Brands has two iconic Australian brands, “Australis” cosmetics and "Le Tan" sunscreens and tanners. As a relatively small company with a staff of 60 we were unable to justify the appointment of a full time HR Manager. As such the flexible and cost effective package offered by People Business represented an ideal fit for our organization. We were able to draw on a comprehensive suite of HR services which were delivered in a professional manner at all times. Taking into consideration both quality and cost I am happy to recommend Adam Clark and his team as a viable and pragmatic HR solution.
Stephen MasonManaging Director, Creative Brands Pty Ltd
Adam and his team have provided an outsourced HR solution to our organisation for 4 years, effectively becoming a part time member of the senior management team, fulfilling all HR requirements typically provided by a Senior HR Manager. Adam successfully recruited around 30 people to our company, a number of which comprised senior and middle management roles. I believe that his business represents a cost effective HR option ideally suited to small and/or growing companies and I have no hesitation in recommending Adam Clark and his team to similar organisations.
Hugh GleesonChief Executive Officer, United Energy and Multinet Gas
I've worked with Adam and his team for over 3 years, developing and implementing an organisational HR System for Stornoway's 50+ permanent staff. As a medium-sized enterprise, I needed cost-effective HR support and someone my staff would be comfortable with. I'm confident that, with their ongoing support, I can continue to meet my HR needs without an in-house specialist.
Tim GardnerGeneral Manager, Stornoway Contracting Pty Ltd
Adam and his team have been facilitating a number of training sessions for City of Port Phillip over the last few years. People Business have always been available to work with me to provide the most relevant, well organised training sessions to meet the diverse needs of our staff.
Leanne BickleyOrganisation Development & Training Consultant, City of Port Phillip
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