Human nation is divided into two categories – those of us who are able to ace an interview with flying colours and those who cannot do so.

It is understandable that we put our best foot forward whilst applying for a new job to increase our chances of being hired.  However, this often means that the person communicating with a recruiter in the interview is actually not the same person or should I say the same personality as the one which will be working and trying to fulfil the requirement of that position, should this particular candidate be hired.

In order for the recruiter to accomplish what they set out to achieve and actually find the right fit of a candidate for a specific job, deploying some of the following strategies may prove to be useful.

1. Develop a core set of questions which every candidate must answer.

2. Keep all questions relevant to the particular job.

3. Ensure the questions directly or indirectly force the candidates to give personal  examples of them dealing with specific situations or scenarios.

4. Ask tough questions, including candidates’ abilities to:

– deal with conflict;

– handle constructive criticism or being told “no”; and

– staying current in the eyes of clients and customers.

5. Do your homework – review all information provided by each candidate and try to verify it.

6. Google each candidate.  As trivial as it may sound, you would be surprised with some of the results generated by this search engine.

7. Ensure all candidates are allowed a similar time frame for their interview.

8. Do not oversell the position. The more accurately you explain it to the candidate, the better chances you have of finding the right fit.

9. Let the candidates know what the next step will involve, including the reference checks, second interview, personality test, etc.

Most importantly, ensure that your business utilises a platform, which simplifies the overall process  and the various stages of recruitment, and uses cutting edge technology.  One of such platforms that comes to mind, which has been active in social media of late, MyRecruitOnline, allows your recruitment process and core HR business strategies to be set up as real-time activities in the system without the need for you to revert to manual processes. Do your research and see which platform suits your business.

Finally, set yourself a goal to get things right the first time!  Strive to place the right and job appropriate candidate each time and every time and you will be the first point of call for many corporates seeking to fill positions.