There are a lot of factors involved in finding and hiring the right candidate for your open position—the perfect candidate, as a matter of fact. Not perfect overall, mind you, but perfect for that particular position. And that’s an excellent place to start: the job description itself.
The reason we’re starting there is a logical one. If the candidate you’re seeking has to be able to fulfill the requirements of the job position, then the requirements of the position must be comparable to the talent that currently exists in the marketplace. In other words, the job description must be carefully scrutinized and tough questions have to be asked so that the description does the job it’s supposed to do—help qualify the candidates that are presented to you.
So the very first step in finding the right candidate—the “perfect” candidate for your position—is to look inward and not outward. By inward, we mean look at the job description. Before the search is even started, the job description should be thoroughly analyzed and discussed by all of the individuals who will be involved with the new employee.
If this step is overlooked or de-emphasized, the chances that you will attract and land the candidate you’re seeking will be greatly reduced. We all know that a great employer-employee relationship is like any other relationship. If you don’t know what you want and what you’re looking for, you probably aren’t going to find it, no matter how hard you try.