How Does a Hiring Manager Decide Which Candidate to Hire? - Taurean Consulting (2024)

FAQs

How does the hiring manager choose the candidate? ›

Personality, technical proficiency, education, and cultural fit are just a few of the traits hiring managers consider when deciding which job candidate to hire.

Use objective selection methods

Utilizing skills assessments can provide quantifiable data on each candidate's proficiency and suitability for the role. These evaluations range from technical skills tests specific to the job to broader aptitude tests that gauge problem-solving or communication skills.

So, hiring managers are the decision-makers; they have the final say as to who gets hired and who gets rejected. They own the outcome of the recruiting process. And when there's a bad hire, the hiring manager is the one who should investigate what went wrong.

And for many hiring managers, that revelation comes much sooner than one might expect. According to a new survey from CareerBuilder, just over half of hiring managers (51 percent) know within the first five minutes of an interview if a candidate is a good fit for a position.

Some hiring managers may choose to interview the strongest candidates first. This can be advantageous for a number of reasons. By interviewing the top candidate early, employers can gauge other candidates' performances against the benchmark set by the best candidate.

How Do You Know If You Are a Top Candidate? Clear interest from the interviewer, positive body language, and in-depth discussions about the role and company indicate that you are being considered a top candidate.

Usually, the successful candidate is notified first by phone. The recruitment manager or the person who interviewed them will phone them to let them know they have been successful and that they are being offered the job. The candidate will usually be asked to confirm their acceptance.

How to pick between two great candidates? ›

The final recruitment decision is typically made by a group of interviewers, including partners and senior consultants. It is not usually just one key partner who makes the decision. The decision-making process involves a combination of written evaluations and a discussion among the interviewers.

They don't fully control the hiring process

In many organizations, HR is the frontline in the hiring process, advancing only the most vetted candidates to the interview stage. However, the final say in who gets the job ultimately resides with the hiring manager, who is typically outside of the HR department.

Candidate evaluation is the process of assessing a candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience to determine their suitability for an open role. There are multiple candidate assessment methods, including interviews, work sample tests, and reference checks.

Candidate selection is the process of finding the right person to fill a given position at your organization. Importantly it covers all steps from initial resume screening to making a final hiring decision and preparing a job offer. It can include skill assessments, an interview, and a background check.

Compliments prove that they're especially impressed by you.

It's the hiring manager's job to ask you questions—but if they take a moment to compliment you, that means you've really caught their eye. The more specific the compliment, the more likely you've won over the manager.

At the conclusion of the interview (after the candidate has been escorted out), the panel members should remain to discuss and evaluate the candidate. Lead by the facilitator, the panel will determine the candidate's suitability based on job-related qualifications and make a decision for the next step in the process.