How To Decide Between Similarly Qualified Candidates

They're all good. Which one do I hire?

With a job market that has put more talent into play than in recent memory, it is more likely than ever that you will have to make such a hiring decision.

It has been said that you can never have too much of a good thing, but what happens if you find yourself in the difficult position of having to make an important hiring decision between several candidates who are all excellent fits for your job? Here are some considerations that may help you make up your mind:

First off, must you really hire only one person? It is a fact of business life that talented people are hard to find. You may suddenly be in a position where you have been fortunate enough to have identified more than one exceptionally hire-able person. Can you create an additional position in your firm to accommodate this wonderful surfeit of talent? Have you considered possibly putting on a second person as a consultant or in a temporary capacity to test them out in addition to the full time opportunity? Most companies find that above average people quickly pay for themselves in productivity gains even when placed in a previously unidentified position so there is often no additional expense involved in putting on the extra person.

If you are limited to hiring one person, consider a rating system that uses both empirical and subjective criteria in making the call. You may find that a combination of 'hard data' and 'gut feeling' may work well. For example, compare the quality of the work experience in addition to the tenure. In some firms, just "being there" results in promotions and titles that can cloud the issue of what the person has actually done. If you have questions about the skill-sets that were in use at a candidate's job, investigate further. When it comes to references, it is obvious that those provided by any candidate had better be favorable! So concentrate on finding other people in the company (or even at other firms) that may have knowledge about the candidates in question to get a better picture of their working lives and how it might translate into your firm. This may help you visualize which person would be the best fit..

A candidate's education might be a 'tipping point' when deciding between otherwise equally qualified people. How difficult was the school? Did the candidate take rigorous courses? GPAs alone are not necessarily valid criteria unless you compare the types of institutions that gave the grades. Some schools are known for giving "Gentleman's Bs" while others are renown for being hard markers. You may be surprised to find how many "Honors" graduates a school produces (often an indication of the difficulty of the institution). Of course, if the candidates have been out of school for some time, this criteria would be best thought of as a 'tie-breaker'.

Assuming that work experience, skills and education are so similar as to be non-determinative for your purposes, what about the 'soft skills'? Was the level of communication you had with the candidates up to your professional standards? Were emails well-crafted and cogent? Were thank-yous and follow ups prompt and thoughtful? Remember that in a tight race, you are looking for things that give a candidate an edge.

If after careful review and analysis, you are still unable to make a definitive choice, consider this, "Which of the candidates wants the job most?" Not, "needs the job most." Which candidate made it clear that they are highly motivated? Which candidate evidenced the most research about your company during the interviewing process? Which candidate asked the best questions? Which candidate made it clear to you that they wanted to be part of your team and would do what it takes to make the partnership with you an unqualified success? In many cases, a candidate's commitment to getting a job often translates into superior job performance and can be a strong factor when making a hard hiring decision.

Irrespective of the number of candidates who are under final consideration, you should always:

1. Move as quickly as possible - if you like someone, another company probably does as well.
2. Maintain communication - let all candidates know their status, even the ones who are not in consideration. Thank everyone for their interest. Remember, candidates speak to their friends and colleagues about their experience with your firm and how it conducts itself.


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