Shortlist phase
If you are doing this yourself, this will be the first opportunity to look at the candidate pool ‘in the round’. Look to assess each candidate against your pre-agreed matrix of skills and experience, accepting that at this stage it is very difficult to appraise style. If you have asked people to respond to a series of values-based questions, how closely do they match your model answers? How much thinking do they provoke? Where might they provide a perspective that could be additive?
Simply judging a CV by where a person has worked, the brands with which they’re associated, or their role titles is reductive. Look for how they articulate how they meet your brief. Remember that those with most experience of going through such processes are likely to be able to pull together more accomplished documentation but that doesn’t mean they’re the best candidate. Look at all their paperwork in the round. Do some basic due diligence – check social media and do an internet search for some extra cover.
If you are working with a partner, at this point they will be able to give you an update on their interviews/conversations with candidates. They will draw out the salient points to inform your decision-making and respond to any questions or concerns you have. The decision, though, remains yours.
During this stage, make sure you:
- focus on quality and variety, not on the number of applications
- are clear on the mandate and haven’t moved away from your original brief
- understand that no candidate will be the perfect fit and know where you are happy to compromise and where you cannot
- have a list of questions you want to ask candidates being taken forward
- are not taking candidates forward disingenuously to fulfil some misguided quota or sense of propriety
- get a real sense of what drives and motivates candidates – personality is as important as track record
- can offer feedback to those not being taken forward (either directly or via a partner)
- ensure everyone leaves the process with a positive sense of you as an organisation
