Most of the time, a hiring manager will probably have difficulty finding a one really good candidate to fill an open position, and that can prolong the search and make the hiring process rather painful. Every once in a while, however, the stars align just right, and you find two great candidates for a job, with both of them possessing strong qualifications and interviewing very well on top of it.
This is a nice problem to have, but it’s still a problem because if you take too long agonizing over a decision, you run the risk of losing both candidates. Two skillful job candidates who interviewed very well with your company will probably also be able to interview very well with other companies, so you can’t afford to drag your feet, and think for too long about which would be the better fit for your company.
While this kind of scenario may in fact never happen to you as a hiring manager, just in case it does, here are three strategies you might want to consider in order to distinguish one candidate from the other.
Think About the Long-term
Obviously, you’re hiring to fill an immediate need at your company, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t incorporate long-term thinking into the process as well. Take a good look at each of the two strong candidates from the standpoint of how each one has the potential to grow and thrive at your company over a long period of time.
When assessing the candidates from this perspective, think about any specific qualities which might distinguish one from the other, for instance, leadership ability or management potential. Another thing you might consider is some of the peripheral or additional skills that one candidate might have which aren’t really necessary for the open position, but which might somehow come into play favorably at your company in the future. Consideration of long-term potential is a good tie-breaker kind of strategy which you can use to help your decision-making.
Interest and Enthusiasm
After having had multiple interviews with both candidates, there was probably one or the other which showed a greater level of interest or enthusiasm for the job. Most likely, one of the two candidates seemed to be more engaged in the process than the other, for instance by asking legitimate questions about the company and about future co-workers.
One or the other may also have followed up more quickly after an interview, just as one of them probably seemed to want the job more. Granted, these are fairly fine points to consider for differentiating between candidates, but if you have no other standout distinctions between the two, one or two of these questions may be very helpful in deciding the issue.
Corporate Culture Fit
Apart from skills and qualifications, one of the two candidates may have seemed to be a better fit for your corporate culture. This might be because one candidate or the other would blend in with the current workforce better, or because he/she seemed to espouse many of the same values which your company does.
If the hiring decision is really this difficult, you may want to introduce both job candidates to office workers on an informal basis to see how well both are accepted, and how they all interact. You can also gauge current employees’ assessment of both candidates afterward. Obviously, this is not a foolproof kind of evaluation, but it just might give you enough feedback to use as the basis for your ultimate decision.
Wildcard Candidate
This is not really one of the three choices which were mentioned at the outset, but it is a fourth wildcard possibility which you might want to give some thought to. In a situation like this, where you have two terrific candidates who would both fit very well into your corporate culture and who bring tremendous skills and qualifications to the table – why not hire both of them?
Yes, this might raise a bigger issue than the problem of deciding between two good candidates, in that it would grossly exceed the budget you have available for a position. However, if you’re not on a shoestring budget and you do have the resources to take on both candidates, it’s an option that’s really worth considering.
It would also probably involve some discussion with upper management, and some serious justification for making such an unusual decision, but if you really feel strongly about both candidates, it’s worth going to bat for them. Keep in mind that it’s probably going to be a rare situation to find two really good candidates again, and for the most part finding even one will be a real trick.
This might especially be a good idea if you anticipate your business growing in the near future, and having a need for another very good candidate in that same position. It might be better to hire both right now than to conduct the same kind of job search several months into the future and come up empty.
Another justification for hiring both candidates might be that you have a backlog of several projects which have been sitting there for lack of manpower. Having two highly qualified individuals come on board at once would allow you to make a serious dent in that backlog, and get things current again.