Signs that a candidate may not be an excellent emotional fit for your organization
Recruiting an employee is not only about selecting a candidate based on their qualifications or experiences but also the one with a good emotional fit for your organization. When seeking suitable candidates, you have to be attentive to the red flags they may show during the interview process. Some clear signs display both, the positive and negative points of a candidate. Let's dig in to understand the signs indicating a candidate is a misfit for your organization.
- Sense the enthusiasm of the candidate
Instead of 'what’ a candidate says, focus on 'how’ they say it. The right candidate must be as interested in your organization and respective role as your organization is in them.
Notice a lack of interest and enthusiasm in their body language and mode of communication and hear indifference in their voice. When a candidate is saying only negative statements about their previous company and work without reliable explanations, that could also be a sign identifying a misfit candidate. Try to understand whether a candidate is genuinely interested in their field of action. Employees who don't care much about their work may not be a good fit for an organization.
2. Conduct pre-employment assessments
Pre-employment tests are an effective way to select a suitable candidate for your organization. You can conduct a ‘personality and culture fit test’ to explore the candidate's personality traits. It will help you to ensure whether a candidate is fit for your company. The candidates' answers will help recruiters find how candidates think and solve problems.
When you think your employee needs strong critical thinking skills for a job role, you must conduct a cognitive ability assessment focusing on logical reasoning. Do thoroughly check the results before moving to the next steps.
Incorporate 'situational judgment testing’ (SJT) in your hiring process. This test helps you to assess a candidate's behavior or how they can react by presenting them with realistic scenarios that they could face during their day-to-day job. These test results can help you to judge whether a candidate is emotionally fit to adjust to your work culture and environment.
3. Honesty is a mandate
When looking for a "suitable" candidate for your organization, look for one who is aware of their weaknesses and willing to learn and improve. No one is perfect, and every candidate has some flaws but a candidate, who is not open about their weaknesses or over-confident about their perfection, may not be the right option for your organization.
A candidate might be excellent at technical knowledge but afraid of in-person presentations – it's okay to select that candidate as they are 'self-aware.’ Self-awareness is a vital interpersonal skill, and such candidates can upgrade themselves. But those who claim they never made a mistake – may not be willing to learn and grow as per your business needs. A rigid candidate may not be a good option.
4. Communication
When coordinating with a candidate, a good candidate responds fast, spontaneously, and concisely throughout the process. But when a candidate is slow at responding or responds reluctantly during phone screenings, video calls, or face-to-face interviews — they may not be a good choice. Candidates unmotivated to respond promptly during the interview process usually remain non-responsive even after selection.
5. Identify low emotional intelligence
During an interview, if only the interviewer is the person preceding the communication and the candidate is not so interactive, it can be a negative sign.
Signs of low emotional intelligence in a candidate:
- Not much aware of the company profile
- Not likely to ask questions during the interview about the company's details, their job role, etc.
- Reluctant to ask for extra time to formulate an answer
- Interested only in compensation and benefits
These can be a sign that indicates a candidate is unfit for your company. On the other hand, a suitable candidate is most likely to come up with thoughtful questions prepared for you and seems sincerely interested in the company culture, learning about your expectations, and so on.
6. Try to know about candidates’ goals and passions
Try to understand your candidate's goals, passions, and plans. This is an effective way to learn about a person. A candidate with completely different carrier goals or professional passion from your business perspective can be an emotional misfit for your organization.
Conclusion:
Selecting a good-fit candidate is essential to ensure that the candidate can do the job and persist long-term. You can use the signs mentioned above to avoid a misfit candidate for your organization. Besides necessary skills and experience, being a good emotional fit for your organization is a vital criterion for a good candidate.
