How to Find 'The One'

Valentines Day is just around the corner. It’s bringing up feelings of happiness and love.

Love feels marvelous, doesn’t it?

Do you know what else feels splendid?

Finding THE ONE.

That one candidate…the needle in the haystack. You know them when you find them. Like Cinderella’s slipper. They just fit.

Now, we have all hired a dud from time to time. You know the type. These candidates say all the right things in the interview. They are charming and persuasive. That little voice tells you something isn’t quite right, but you ignore it. You need someone in the role.

Fast forward six months into the future and this imposter-superstar has taken more sick days than you can count, and they are late more often than your Visa payments in college.

I want to share with you my tricks for hiring right the first time.

1. Put Instructions in your Job Ad

Putting simple instructions in your job advertisement will at once weed out the candidates who are making blind applications without a second thought. Include simple requests such as addressing the cover letter to a specific member of your hiring team. More complicated, and fun, could be requesting the title of their favorite movie in the cover letter. The right candidates will participate, and you’ll get to
see their creative side at the same time.

2. Do a Personality Test

There are a variety of personality testing resources available to employers. We can use the Myers-Briggs, Athena Quotient, or Saberr for instance. While these tools should not be relied upon solely, they can indeed be a reliable supporting tool. One tool that is building strong momentum in the personality assessment marketplace is 16personalities.com. The essential assessment is free, and it’s fun to do, which means that candidates are more relaxed while taking this assessment. I believe this translates to more accurate results.

3. Give them Homework after the Interview

Any candidate can say they have strong attention to detail, are diligent, and can follow instructions.Giving them homework is a great way to see what they are capable of, and how engaged they are in the process. If you are hiring a human resources manager, ask them to write a job posting for a position in your company. Give them a deadline of 24 hours. If you are interviewing a recruiter, ask them to submit to you their top 15 interview questions. Again, include a timeline. This task will set the superstars apart from the not-so- super stars.

4. Take Them for Lunch

Have you ever gone on a first date with someone to only find that they are a lot more suave in a controlled environment such as an online chat room, or through text message? Once you have a small shortlist, I recommend taking your candidate out to lunch. Being out of a formal interview environment means they will naturally relax, and be more inclined to talk on a personal level. You can also see their
table manners! This tactic will show you how their behavior may be in a client luncheon or a networking event.

Now that you have found your Cinderella (or, Prince Charming), don’t forget to move fast! If you have fallen in love, chances are, another company has as well. Make an offer and be sure it’s a competitive one.

Cheers to success in 2018,

Amy 

Amy Cole is an Executive Recruiter and Staffing Expert. She runs a recruiting and consulting company where she finds top talent for Fashion, E-Commerce, Sales and Digital Marketing companies across the nation.

The success of her multi 6-figure consulting business comes from Amy’s proven track record in sales and building high performing teams. Amy has over 17 years experience in filling mid to executive level positions. She has worked with leaders to hire talent within international brands such as Michael Kors, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren and has helped small businesses across multiple industries. As an executive recruiter, speaker and corporate trainer, she has empowered thousands of leaders and professionals with innovative hiring strategies, high-impact leadership training and coaching that catapults careers.