Will a Candidate Be Reliable?
If you are considering hiring a job candidate for a position at your company, one of the key things you should determine is whether the candidate will be reliable or not. You don’t want to hire someone who comes late to work, quits after a brief period or does not get assignments done correctly in a timely manner.
While it can be challenging to tell during the application process whether a candidate is reliable or not, there are a few things to watch for that can give you clues on whether the candidate is someone who can be counted on. To help you determine if a candidate is reliable:
- Pay attention to whether the candidate shows up on time. If a candidate comes late for an interview, this is a major red flag they may be unreliable once they are hired. After all, if a potential employee does not care enough to arrive on time for an interview, they may care even less once they land a job.
- Check references. Talk with past employers to find out if the candidate got work done on time, showed up when promised and met or exceeded expectations.
- Look closely at a candidate’s job history. If a candidate has a history of job hopping, this could be a red flag of reliability problems. Ask for an explanation; however, unless there is a good reason why the candidate has changed jobs so often, cross that candidate off your list.
- Ask the right interview questions. Some key questions can help you get to the heart of a candidate’s reliability. For example, you can ask the candidate about a time when they had a task unfinished at the end of the workday. See whether the candidate prioritizes tasks to get things done or if they’ll stay late if needed. You can also ask about any difficult decisions they have had to make at work, or inquire about a time when they had a personal issue that pulled them away from work.
If you are looking for a reliable candidate, you can get help from a staffing service to find one. SmartTalent has helped many companies in Kirkland, Fife, Renton, Lacey, Lynnwood, Everett and surrounding areas to find candidates who they could count on. To find out more about how our staffing service can assist you with finding trusted staff members, give us a call today.
