How to Choose Between Two Strong Job Candidates

In some ways, it’s a dream scenario: having multiple highly qualified candidates who are both applying for a job within your company. During a candidate-driven marketplace, when there tend to be more positions open than there are people to fill them, this situation becomes less common, and so you may have less practice over the past few years with making the hard decision between two great candidates.

At Select One, we are hiring and recruiting experts. Over our years in this industry, we have seen what decision-making criteria helps and hurts people when they have to pick between two great candidates, and we are happy to share some of that expertise with you in this post!

We know it would be great if picking the ideal candidate was just a matter of filling out a checklist of qualifications or creating a pros and cons list for each potential new hire. However, making hiring decisions is much more complex, and unfortunately, more subjective.

When it comes to making this hard choice, here are our three most important pieces of advice.

Tip #1: Don’t stress yourself out about finding the PERFECT candidate.

There is no perfect candidate. There simply isn’t. If you find yourself hesitating to make a decision because neither candidate embodies perfection, then you are never going to be happy with the hiring decision you make.

Job seekers are human beings, and everybody in your company is going to have their strengths and weaknesses. It’s best to make the decision based on a variety of factors, such as the candidate’s personality, rather than waiting for perfection to arrive on your doorstep.  

Tip #2: Consider the long-term impact of the hire on your company culture.

Some hiring decisions have more impact on your culture than others. For example, if you are hiring one of your first employees and your company is really small, then the individual is going to potentially play a large role in developing how your workplace feels and functions.

The same thing is true if you are hiring for a manager or decision maker within the company. In these instances, it may be more important to prioritize personality and enthusiasm over job experience or education. A positive thinking, motivated individual can often make up for initial gaps in experience, but a grouch with lots of experience can bring your company’s morale down even as that person completes the job requirements without a problem.

Tip #3: Don’t make this decision alone.

As often as possible, hiring should be a collaborative decision. Now, you’ll probably need to have one person who has the authority to make the final decision so that you don’t get caught in a standoff over hiring. Even so, making this decision without input is a poor strategy. Additional voices from multiple levels of the company can create a more informed picture of what decision you should make.

If it’s a managerial position, what do the people they’ll be leading think of the two candidates? If they will have a small team to work with, ask for input from the team. If the person will be reporting to someone other than you, check in with that supervisor. You can even bring in an outsider’s perspective if that will help!

Are you intimidated by the hiring process?

If so, you’re not alone. Many companies find the decision making that goes into hiring pretty difficult, not to mention all the work that goes into searching for and recruiting the right candidates.

Bringing in professional help with recruiting can save your time and also a lot of energy and also a lot of stress! Because recruiters can reduce the amount of time spent on the job search, it’s likely that recruiting help can actually save you money.

After all, the time that you spend trying to navigate job searching boards, recruitment best practices, interviews, and software decisions should not be undervalued! Contact us at Select One today to learn how we can help with your recruiting and hiring goals.

And don’t miss our free offer, Recruiting Trends in 2019, where we go over everything you need to know about how recruiting is poised to change this year. Don’t get left behind by your competitors and instead, let us work with you to ensure that your positions are filled by exceptional candidates who are excited to join your team!