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How do you know an ideal candidate from a less ideal one? When a candidate matches all the job requirements, does that means you have found the ideal candidate? Or is there a list of basic characteristics that you can measure with before the offer was finally made?

In considering professional or leadership/supervisory levels, some basic characteristics are essential not only for them to adapt well in the hired position but the possibility of them to be part of the organization on a long term basis. The critical question is: Would you like to have him/her in your team in the next three to five years time?

Do they have the basic characteristics of “an ideal candidate”?

Interest for continuous growth and learning

We are living in a highly fast paced world. Technology changes almost every day. The ideal candidate should make certain that they sustain a continuing interest in developing new skills as required. For example, if a candidate came across as shunning certain technology and the excuse given was it has inconvenient him/her, he/she is perhaps not cut for challenging professional post.

Flexible and embrace change

He/she must be comfortable with change and ambiguity. The ability to handle stress is much coveted – no employer fancies the idea of counseling employees that are constantly under stress. The ideal candidate should be emotionally secured and knows his/her limits and flexible in making personal changes.

A team player

Working with people and having the ability to enjoy healthy working relationships are crucial to ensure office harmony and job success. He/she has to understand that nothing can be done without the help of others. Lone rangers will have problem fitting into the team’s agenda.

Proactive and self-motivated

He/she should not be just looking at monetary incentives to stay motivated. The incentive of producing an excellent piece of work should itself be rewarding enough to keep him/her motivated to work.

Ability to see the “big picture”

It is important to have employees that can see a change in one area will inevitably affect something in another area. The candidate should at least project an impression of making good decisions and knowing decisions can have an impact on other people and processes in other parts of an organization.

As an interviewer, it is very easy to allow personal preferences to blur our judgment. All of us are guilty of bringing our biasness into the interview room. In employment situation, similarities attract. For example, we have strong biasness towards candidates that graduate from the same college as ours. Even though some of the basic characteristics are not there, we tend to overlook it. This is dangerous because the tendency to work with someone that we can relate to, whether it is from the same college, same hometown or similar club is very tempting.

Can I have a slightly different list of characteristics so to suit the nature of my company’s nature of business and culture? Of course, you can. The point is as long as you have a checklist such as this, the chances of you spotting the ideal candidate should be higher.

Good luck, Recruiters!