The ideal candidate may look good on paper, but when it comes to practice, things can be a little different. The candidate comes to the interview and proves that he has experienced listed on his resume, that he worked in the field before, that is interested in the position, that he has the necessary skills to manage the job, and all shows that he would be the right person for the job.
The candidate receives an offer, and he takes it, and ultimately he is hired and starts working at his new job. However, once he starts working, there are some problems, the employee turns out not to be the best choice. He may have difficulties adapting, he does not get along well with his coworkers or simply he is not motivated enough to do things well.
Personal characteristics, an important criterion for selecting a new employee
In such situations, it turns out that the employer or recruiter did not take into account some critical factors regarding the criteria for choosing a new employee. Among them, we can mention the personal characteristics and the degree of motivation. Typically, when hiring a new person, you put more emphasis on the candidate’s abilities and the knowledge that he has in a certain field, not on the other first two issues.
The personal characteristics of an employee are the ones that underly his character as an individual. They are the ones that define the person as a whole and are unchangeable or difficult to change in a business context. If we make a comparison, it would be easy to think about the fact that we could teach a chicken to climb the tree, but we more likely to see a squirrel doing it naturally.
Among the personal characteristics that a recruiter or employer should evaluate when it comes to a new candidate, we can include integrity, initiative, energy, intelligence, the ability to make decisions, passion and the ability to communicate. If these things are not plenty found at a person, hardly can they be acquired by an adult and especially just for a new job.
The degree of motivation, skills and knowledge
Beyond these features, there is the motivation to occupy the job, the skills and knowledge. If the last two can be gained in time by a person, the first one – motivation – is hard to find in many candidates. However, whether a candidate is motivated or not can be easily spotted since the recruitment process and the skills and knowledge can be tested through aptitude tests.
In conclusion, when selecting a candidate in the recruitment process, we have to put in a balance the things that are essential to meet the job description. If some features can be found in a very small extent at a candidate, the question that arises is: Can these things be acquired on the way?
BIA HR TEAM