When hiring, what qualities do you look for in a candidate, and what do you consider red flags?
If this management position requires you to attract new talent and make hiring decisions, you must know how to make a good hire! The interviewer wants to know which qualities you value the most when hiring new team members. Many people will respond with 'a positive personality' or 'honest' and 'enthusiastic.' Challenge yourself to stand apart from the rest by providing a more thoughtful answer. Show the interviewer that you understand which qualities would work best for their organizational values and company mission.
There are many red flags that you can look out for as a manager and hiring authority. When interviewing candidates, some of the most obvious red flags include lack of eye contact, jumping around on their resume, or appearing unprepared for their job interview. Again, when you answer this part of the question, try to dig deeper and provide red flags that show you are mindful and discerning when making hiring decisions.
"There are clear positive qualities and obvious red flags, of course. Aside from these, I work hard to dig deeper and look for patterns and clues that might be less apparent to a manager with less experience. Some of the greatest qualities I look for when engaging a candidate include being prepared with excellent questions for me in their job interview. I always ask if they have questions, and the candidate who does not is turned down. When a candidate asks a very intriguing question, I know they are a deeper thinker than most. I also love to see a candidate that shows good judgment when answering hypothetical or scenario-based interview questions. It's one thing to know the right thing to do, and it's another to think outside of the box and become a problem solver when a challenge arises. For red flags, the biggest ones are showing up late to an interview or speaking poorly of past colleagues or managers when asked about previous positions. Again, digging deeper, I look out for indicators such as lack of factual support when answering behavioral-based interview questions. I also look for over-inflated statements on their resume. One of the biggest red flags is when candidates answer the question they want to answer rather than the one I actually asked. Active listening skills are a must-have."
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