Recruitment is all about observing and judging potential candidates. But finding the right candidate can be significantly more challenging than it sounds. In today’s competitive market, finding candidates that match the required criteria is relatively easy. However, qualification and experience are not the only factors determining whether a candidate will fulfill an organization’s requirements.
As a recruiter, you must know that hard work is one of the most important traits determining a candidate’s ability to fulfill the vacancy. Hard work is a loosely defined trait, as it can mean different things for different positions. For some positions, it may not be a trait but a culmination of other positive traits. Hence, detecting if a candidate is hard-working or not can be difficult.
But don’t worry, the following tips will prepare you for detecting a hard-working candidate in interviews for all positions in all industries. Let’s take a look at them:
Evaluate How Much They Know About the Company
A hard worker always prepares in advance. While questions about the company may seem unnecessary, especially for small businesses or established corporations, they are important for detecting a hard-working candidate. A non-hard working candidate will only state the obvious as a response even when interviewing for multinational companies. On the other hand, a hard worker will most likely respond by stating why the company was started and what it currently does.
Ask Open-Ended Questions
Close-ended questions can be too easy to answer in job interviews. As a recruiter, you should always frame your questions to make them sound open-ended. Open-ended questions help with detecting a hard-working candidate since they encourage the candidates to think before they answer. If you find that the candidate responds to such questions promptly and thoroughly, chances are they prepared for such questions beforehand. In contrast, if the candidate seems to be thinking too much but still not delivering a smooth and satisfactory answer, it’s clear they didn’t prepare for the interview.
Notice If They Are Punctual
Punctual people are considerably more disciplined and hard-working in life. Noticing how early candidates arrive or behave in case they get late can significantly help you in detecting a hard-working candidate. A hard-working candidate will likely arrive early before the interview or in time.
However, you shouldn’t assume a candidate to be non-hard working even if they get late. In that case, notice how they act about it. If the candidate offers an excuse for getting late and apologizes for keeping the recruiter waiting, the excuse they offered wasn’t a lie. But you can consider a candidate non-hard working if they act like getting late wasn’t a big deal.
But recruiters shouldn’t keep the candidates waiting either. If they keep a candidate waiting who came for the interview on time, they may lose that candidate. A hard-working candidate can bring extra value to your organization. However, as a recruiter and an organization representative, you must provide the right environment for the hardworking candidate.
