Finding the perfect candidate to fill your open position can take time, but knowing what to look for in quality talent will help you hire the right person for the job. During an interview, there are many signs, some good and some bad, that are apparent from the start. Mentally prepare yourself before you conduct interviews to make sure your mind is fresh and you can quickly recognize any positive or negative signs that are right in front of you. Below are a few of the excellent qualities to keep an eye out for during an interview, as well as some red flags that you need to be able to recognize.

Qualities of an Excellent Candidate

• Presentation: How does the candidate present themselves? Quality talent will stand out. An excellent candidate will be dressed and groomed appropriately, display good manners, sit upright with good posture, and maintain eye-contact to show they are actively engaged.

• Be Prepared: The number one thing in regards to being prepared is if the candidate is on time. A qualified interviewee will arrive at least ten minutes prior to their start time. They will know about the position and company they are interviewing for. When asked what they know about the company or why they are hoping to obtain the position, listen carefully to their answers.

• Loyalty: Once you have a candidate that is actually in the running for the open position, ask them how soon they would be able to start if hired. If they tell you that they need to give their current employer a notice, this is a good sign. It shows that although they are leaving one company to join a new one, they are still loyal enough to give their old employer a decent amount of time to replace them. You would want the same respect if an employee was leaving you.

• Can Handle Criticism: Nothing is worse than an employee that cannot accept constructive criticism. Gain an idea of how an interviewee responds to criticism by asking them about their weaknesses. It is important for individuals to be able to recognize their areas of weaknesses and show that they have a plan to work on improving this.

Red Flags to Recognize

• Late for the interview: First and most important red flag! If an applicant shows up late for an interview, without a valid reason or without making a courtesy call, send them home. Let them know you have back to back interviews scheduled. If they could not show up on time for their interview, what is going to keep them from being late to work?

• Doesn't know the job: If they do not know what the job entails, why are they there? If someone applied for your open position and showed up for an interview, they should have the decency to look into the company that they are interviewing with.

• References: Who do they have listed as their references? If it is strictly friends and family, this is a red flag. Why not use a previous employer or manager? Consider the possibility that they may have left their previous jobs for negative reasons.

Skip All the Signs

Hire quality talent from the start, and don't worry about missing one of those signs! Avoid the stress of screening resume after resume, and worrying whether or not you're about to hire the right person for the job.

Increase the size of your recruiting pond by 500% and hire quality talent the first time around! We use a scientifically proven method, here at Nextaff, to filter through potential candidates until we find the most qualified contenders. We use a recruiting method, called XFactor, to create a customized roadmap for your specific business that will sift out any "red flags" and leave you with only exceptional applicants.

For more assistance on finding the ideal hire for your business, download our free whitepaper on, "Perfecting the Perfect Hire" below. Or contact us today!

Based on this article, we recommend you read: 3 Reasons Why You're Not Hiring Quality Talent, 3 Ways To Acquire Talent For Your Business, and Acquiring Talent in the Workplace.

NEXTAFF helps companies Hire Quality Employees.  By offering a complete range of temporary staffing agency services, we help your company – no matter where you are in your business evolution – raise productivity through hiring better quality employees. We are able to service all your staffing agency needs with local staffing offices in Raleigh-NC, Overland Park-KS, Topeka-KS, Kansas City-MO, Houston-TX, Gulf Coast-MS, Phoenix-AZ, Orlando-FL, Harrisburg-PA and Miami-FL.