Any staffing process requires your HR team to find the best candidate and make the right hiring decision. That last part becomes more difficult when faced with two equally skilled and experienced candidates.
In this scenario, finding any red flags in either applicant helps your team’s decision-making process. The interview also offers a great opportunity to discover any potential red flags that might disqualify a candidate. Remember, you want to hire someone that makes a great fit within your company culture. So let’s look more closely at a few things to look for during an interview.
How Can You Find a Candidate’s Red Flags?
A Rude Personality
Collaboration and teamwork remain important throughout the technology industry. The days of the lone wolf programmer are long over. Because of this, you want to hire a technology professional with a great personality that works well with others. So pay close attention to the interviewee’s attitude during the interview. Someone with a great résumé but a rude personality might not be a good fit for your organization.
Shows Little Evidence of Researching Your Company
During an interview, you typically give a candidate the chance to ask a few questions of their own. As a result, you hope to receive meaningful queries showing insight into your company. If their question shows little understanding of your company’s values and mission, consider it a red flag. A lack of research into your organization reveals someone either not interested in the job or a poor fit.
Failing to Accurately Answer a Technical Question
When interviewing any technology professional, a few open-ended technical questions provide critical insights on their true ability. If they fail to answer these questions with accuracy, perhaps they exaggerated their skills and experience level. You might disqualify the candidate right after the interview. If not, be sure to follow up with their references.
At the same time, also conduct focused technical interviews when vetting IT candidates. These play a critical role in truly determining their skills. They also provide a chance to see how well the candidate thinks on their feet.
Not Providing Detail on Their Work Experience
In addition to verifying technical skills, the interview provides the opportunity to vet a candidate’s professional experience. Ask an open-ended question in this area. Perhaps the interviewee fails to provide meaningful insights on the tangible impacts they made for previous employers? An inability to go into more detail on the contents of their résumé remains a critical red flag.
If your company struggles to hire the right candidate, connect with the experts at The CERES Group. As one of the top IT staffing agencies in Boston, we provide exceptional candidates to make a positive difference for you. Schedule some time with us at your earliest convenience.