Years ago, when I was still new to my recruiting career, I recommended a candidate–we’ll call him Andy–for a manager position based on his impressive resume and polished interview performance. On paper, Andy seemed like the perfect hire. He had the required credentials and all the right answers to my screening questions. The client thought so too, and he got the job.
However, a few weeks into his new role, Andy’s inability to delegate became a glaring issue, threatening his continued employment. Subsequent conversations with his former colleagues revealed this was a long-standing issue I could have uncovered had I done a more thorough reference check. Lesson learned.
As my experience with Andy showed me, vetting candidates isn’t just about reviewing resumes and asking the right questions (although those are certainly important steps, too). A solid vetting process also looks at areas like soft skills, team cohesion, and personal values, all of which can impact a new hire’s success. So, I want to take the time here to explore why a thorough candidate vetting process is crucial and explain some actionable steps you can take to select the best candidates for your organization.
Why You Need to Vet Candidates Thoroughly
Hiring the right talent is one of the most impactful decisions a company can make. A methodical vetting process will help your organization in the following ways.
Discovering discrepancies
A confident cover letter and strong interview skills can mask red flags that point to imminent problems. From resume embellishments to outright falsehoods, fabrications can unfortunately creep into some applications, threatening your ability to make an accurate assessment. Steps like verifying a candidate’s skills and checking their references can reveal discrepancies that prevent you from making a hiring mistake.
Mitigating risk
Bad hires are bad for business. A new employee’s negative attitude or a lack of critical skills can disrupt workflows, dampen morale, and even cause turnover. Vetting job candidates carefully will help you protect your organization’s interests.
Strengthening the team
On the flip side, a good hire lifts up the whole team. A strong addition can improve performance, boost productivity, and enhance your employer brand through interactions with clients and partners.
Now, let’s dig into the steps for deep-diving into your job applicants.
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10 Steps to Effectively Vet Job Candidates
1. Start with a clear job description
The vetting process begins long before resumes start hitting your inbox. A clear, detailed job description is your first filter. It sets expectations for candidates and helps ensure you attract individuals with the skills and attributes required to do the job.
For instance, when my team hires for a role requiring technical expertise, we list certifications, software proficiencies, and the preferred number of years of experience. We describe the team dynamic–collaborative or independent, creative or structured, etc. Being upfront and specific helps begin weeding out unqualified applications from day one.
Related: How to Write a Job Description to Attract Top Candidates
2. Conduct structured screening calls
A 15- to 20-minute phone screen can save hours of your time by quickly identifying whether it’s worth moving forward with a candidate. Create a standardized list of pre-screening questions to evaluate core qualifications, experience, availability, and salary expectations.
In a recent screening call, one of my recruiters chatted with a promising candidate whose resume listed several examples of project management experience. However, our screening questions revealed she’d been in more of a supporting role rather than a leadership capacity–something that made a difference for this particular position. Without that screening call and the specific questions, we might have wasted a lot of our time (and the candidate’s!) by incorrectly advancing her to the next stage.
Related: How to Conduct a Phone Interview
3. Verify skills through objective assessments
Resumes and interviews can only tell you so much. After all, applicants can say whatever they want. To gauge a candidate’s abilities, when possible, you should try to incorporate skills assessments relevant to the role, like a coding challenge for developers, a writing test for copywriters, or a role-playing scenario for salespeople. These exercises are useful for assessing technical skills and evaluating other important characteristics like creativity and problem-solving.
4. Ask strategic interview questions
Interviewing is an entire topic on its own, and we’ve written dozens of interviewing articles about it. When it comes to vetting candidates, though, one of the most important aspects of the interview is the list of questions you will ask.
Asking a strategic mix of questions allows you to evaluate a candidate’s previous track record and predict their likely potential for future performance in your organization. Use a combination of behavioral interview questions to learn about past experiences, situational questions to understand how a candidate would respond in hypothetical scenarios, and personality questions to understand work preferences and culture fit.
5. Assess for cultural fit
Skills can be taught. Culture fit cannot. This is an idea that is core to a good screening process. If someone is missing a technical skill, that might not be the end of the world, but if they have a personality or motivation mismatch, they will seldom work out. During interviews and in other interactions with a candidate, ask questions to discover their values, work style, and adaptability. All of these will play a big role in their success or failure on your team.
This is also a great opportunity to let the candidate help with your vetting process. Talking about your company culture during the interview process allows them to understand the work environment and expectations better so they can self-select in or out of continuing in the hiring process. We have a long list of ways to talk about your company’s culture during interviews here.
6. Check references thoroughly
Even if the candidate has been stellar throughout the interview process, checking references is a step you don’t want to skip. Trust me when I say I’ve learned this the hard way.
When contacting references, go beyond surface-level questions like “What is [CANDIDATE] like to work with?” Ask for specific examples of their strengths, areas for improvement, and interactions as part of a team. If you hear something negative, it’s not necessarily a deal breaker. Rather, it’s an important piece of data to help you set clear expectations and provide adequate support during onboarding and training.
7. Conduct background checks
Conducting a background check for certain roles can be an important step in verifying a candidate’s history and ensuring they have a clean record. For a position that handles cash, for example, you’d want to ensure the person you hire has never been in trouble for theft. While background checks aren’t necessary in all situations, they’re worth considering for jobs with sensitive information, finances, or vulnerable populations.
Related: The Best Background Check Software Options for Employers
8. Involve multiple stakeholders
Hiring shouldn’t be a solo endeavor. Include multiple team members in the interview and decision-making process to gain other perspectives on candidates.
In a recent hiring experience, we brought a potential new hire to meet their potential teammates during an informal lunch after their interview. I then asked those teammates for feedback afterward. One person who attended had an interesting note–the candidate had spent lots of time talking about themself but hadn’t asked a single question about the team or its projects. While this wasn’t a dealbreaker, I was glad to have this piece of information to factor into our considerations and prepare to integrate this candidate into our team successfully.
9. Leverage technology for help
AI and other evolving technologies mean we don’t have to tackle the challenge of vetting job candidates on our own. Enhance your consideration process by leveraging tools that analyze candidate data, track interview performance, and predict long-term success.
For example, some AI-powered platforms can analyze candidates’ interview responses to assess their communication skills and detect whether they share truthful information. Other tools can assess skills and provide detailed reports on applicants’ performance. Still, others can analyze large candidate pools and identify candidates with a high likelihood of success based on their resumes and prior experience.
Technology isn’t a replacement for human judgment, but it can help streamline some aspects of the hiring process and let recruiters focus on high-value tasks.
10. Combine fact and feeling
Gut instincts can be helpful, but you have to be able to back up your feelings with data. If you have a strong inclination about a positive or negative candidate, use it as a signal to take additional steps to confirm or refute your instinct.
Effectively reviewing job candidates requires time, effort, and a commitment to digging deeper than surface-level impressions. By following the steps above, you’ll minimize your risk of making a bad hire and set your team up for long-term success.
Remember: every hire is an investment. If you’d like additional help maximizing the ROI, the experts at 4 Corner Resources are here to assist. We can help you overcome challenges in your hiring process and establish a comprehensive vetting system that yields qualified, well-fitting candidates. Get in touch by setting up a call with us today.
