When it comes to hiring decisions, you can never be too careful. Sometimes you might get lucky and a candidate who is clearly perfect for the job may walk through the door, but it doesn’t usually work that way. In most cases, you’ll need to do lots of digging to make sure the person covers all the bases needed to realize success at your company.

Job interviews are tricky, because you’re typically meeting the candidate for the first time, so it’s hard to know how to read them. It’s very easy to inadvertently get the wrong impression, simply because your wires are crossed. When you make assumptions, you risk losing a really great candidate — or hiring the wrong person for the job — so always deal with any concerns you have head-on, to get the real story.

3 Ways to Address Concerns With a Candidate

1. Ask Behavioral Interview Questions

You certainly don’t want to offer the job to a candidate who can’t handle it. Ask behavioral interview questions to learn more about how they’ve reacted to similar situations in the past. For example, if you’re trying to fill a call center position and you’re not sure if the person can cope with the stress of difficult callers, find out about the most challenging customer they’ve ever encountered and how they dealt with the situation.

2. Conduct a Skills Test

A candidate can put any skills they want on their resume. If you’re worried the person can’t deliver, put them to the test. Whether you administer a written test or conduct a role-playing scenario will likely depend on the nature of the position, but this is an easy way to see if they have what it takes to succeed in the role.

3. Be Honest

Sometimes taking the direct route is the best way to get the answers you need. For example, if you’re concerned the candidate won’t accept the best salary you can offer for the position, ask. Money discrepancies often cause candidates to decline job offers, so be honest about what you’re working with early on if you think it will be an issue. The question may feel a bit awkward, but it will save both of you time and energy if your expectations aren’t aligned.

Need a little help finding the right new hire for your San Fernando Valley, Burbank, Thousand Oaks, Santa Clarita Valley or West Los Angeles area company? Partner with Barrington Staffing. We’ll only present you with candidates who are both a skills fit and a match for your company culture, so you can feel confident in every staffing decision.