Is it possible to find a perfect candidate? Interview with Angela Pardo

So you have a vacancy to cover and you´re looking for a candidate, but you can’t find “the perfect one”. According to professional recruiters, there might be some  reasons why you are not getting suitable candidates, or why they are dropping out:

  • The job description is not clear for the candidate
  • Candidates are more selective in applying for openings
  • Lack of sync between what the employer is looking for and what the candidate wants in a job
  • Other factors, like weak culture, benefits, and employer brand

But if all the points are not about you, and you still can’t find a perfect candidate, let’s see what Angela Pardo, Director and Principal AMC, advises us, and let’s see if the perfect candidate really exists.

“People and human relationships are not an exact science that is why it is difficult to predict if this candidate is ideal or not” – Angela Pardo

Is there any rule to find a perfect talent?

Angela: There is no récipe to find a perfect candidate or something that can assure a recruiter that this candidate is a perfect one. 

But why? Because it’s always said that you have to follow these rules to get a candidate.

Angela: I´ll explain why. You can think that the person that meets all the requirements of the job description and that can give results from the first day it’s a perfect candidate. But it’s not true. Well, it’s true but it´s only one part of success to cover any vacancy.

What is another part?

Angela: The candidate has to adapt to the company’s culture, and to the boss’s leadership style. And this professional experience has to meet the expectation of his/her professional career for the person to stay for a long time in the company.

What do you need to know to do the recruiting process?

Angela: There are different things to take into account.

First: any recruiter has to know perfectly the job description and key parts of the job description that are not negotiable. 

Of course, the recruiter has to know the company culture. And not only company culture but what is the department culture where the candidate will be working. It’s really important to be sure what the leadership style of the potential leader of the candidate is. 

Knowing all the things above, any recruiter has to do a list of the questions to make to the talent.

What else is important to do during the interview?

Angela: It’s really important to take into account a person´s body language, his/her gestures, and tone of voice. It’s the most important message that transmits to a person because this non-verbal language shows more than words. 

Is there any standard question that you have to ask the candidate?

Angela: Yes, it’s really important to know the motivation of the candidate. Why exactly does he want to work in this company and in this role? 

Of course, it can happen that you ask questions, and get the perfect answer but still, this candidate is not an ideal one.

Angela: Exactly, it happened once to me. I was looking for a chief officer and one candidate got through all the tests with flying colors. He was hired, but then it was revealed that he was making discrimination jokes to the women. Like vulgar, inappropriate jokes. I couldn´t notice it in the selection process, but I wasn’t looking for it. And at the same time, he was drinking too much and arrived drunk one day to the office. How can we notice it during the interview? Because he passed the reference check. 

But if we speak about professional skills, is it possible to find a perfect candidate?

Angela: Yes, this part is a more exact one. Recruiters make different types of tests to see if you pass them or not. So we can say that 99% of you won’t make a mistake.

So during this talk with Angela we discuss different techniques to find a “perfect” candidate. But still we couldn’t find the rule, the recipe of what a recruiter has to do to find a candidate that will stay for a long time in the company.

“A perfect candidate is one that makes a fit with a company, his/her leader, his/her team, that has the motivation to work in this company and that gives the results and stability over the long term”Angela Pardo.

In MBI Talent Group we´re sure that in spite of the fact that always there is a margin of error to find an ideal candidate but still if you follow the rules of selection problem you can minimize the risk