Any hiring process remains fraught with risk, especially considering the current job market favoring candidates. Your company might spend a lot of time finding the perfect applicant from potentially upwards of a hundred candidates.
However, after hiring your top choice, you find out their performance suffers compared to what you expected. Did your HR team miss any critical issues when vetting a candidate’s skills, experience, and references? With a goal of always making the best possible hire, check out this list of critical candidate red flags. Leverage this crucial information to always make the most informed hiring decision. Don’t let your staffing efforts go to waste!
What to Watch Out For When Interviewing Candidates
Rudeness During The Interview
The modern IT world thrives on collaboration and cooperation. It remains one of the reasons for the popularity of DevOps and other methodologies focused on teamwork. Consider any candidate displaying a measure of rudeness or a self-centered nature during the interview as a red flag. Instead, hire someone with a proven record of thriving on a team.
A Lack of Research into Your Company
When prompted to ask their own questions, what if a candidate offers no meaningful query about your company? Follow up by asking their opinion of your company’s mission statement and public-facing project work. If they provide only a canned answer, it’s likely they spent no time researching your business. This potential red flag likely identifies someone not actually interested in your business beyond a job opportunity. Look elsewhere to make a hire.
Their Technical Skills List Seems Suspicious
Before the interview, your HR team needs to closely vet every candidate’s résumé. This includes a deep analysis into their technical skills and experience. Pay close attention to any implausibility in their skills list. Boasting more experience in a skill compared to its first appearance on the market provides one example. Ultimately, leverage a technical interview to truly vet a candidate’s IT skills.
References Reveal Discrepancies in The Candidate’s Résumé
Related to that last point, checking a candidate’s references remains a critical part of any successful hiring process. In fact, it offers a great opportunity to find any red flags before your company extends a job offer. For example, a reference might report inaccuracies concerning the job responsibilities or technical skills listed on a candidate’s résumé. So never forego this important step in your staffing efforts.
Are You Looking for These Red Flags When Analyzing Candidates?
If your company finds it difficult to hire great IT candidates, connect with The CERES Group. As one of the top technical staffing agencies in New England, we provide the exceptional talent your business needs. Schedule a meeting with us to discuss your current and future hiring plans.