How to Choose Between Two Good Candidates

So you’ve compared CVs and completed interviews and it’s come down to two amazing candidates: How do you choose? Here are the most important areas to consider when deciding between candidates:

1. Personality

Something that’s difficult to gauge from a paper CV is the personality of a candidate. Hopefully, this is something you’ve been able to glimpse during interviews and you can begin to imagine how the candidate will fit into your team. By this point, it should be clear that the candidate is trustworthy and dedicated but are they friendly and able to work well with others? 

2. Team opinion

When attempting to determine whether a candidate will fit into your team dynamic, who better to ask than your team themselves? Involving your team in the recruitment process is a great way to decide on a candidate and integrate the new starter into the team.

3. Knowledge of company

A good indicator of a candidate’s enthusiasm for the role and your organisation is their knowledge of the company. A candidate who has taken the time to research the business and likes what they see is likely to work well within the organisation, potentially for the long term. This is also a good test of initiative and thoroughness as a candidate who has carried out this preparation is likely to be proactive and meticulous.

4. Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm for the role is clearly an important factor in deciding between two candidates. Did one candidate display more passion for the role than the other through their application? Did they ask more questions or have interesting views on the company? All of these considerations can influence your final decision.

5. References

While it may be difficult to decide between two candidates based on the limited information you have managed to gather from the recruitment process so far, it may help to consult the references given by the candidates’ previous line managers, who have a better understanding of them as individuals and workers. References are things an applicant cannot positively spin but accurate depictions that you can compare.

6. Additional skills

Finally, were there any additional skills that you did not require and perhaps were not even expecting during the recruitment process that a candidate possesses and can help to drive your business forward? This can be another way to help you choose a candidate that will be the biggest asset to your company.