Making the Right Hiring Decision: Why the Best Candidate on the Day Isn’t Always the Best Candidate for the Job
Recruitment decisions can be surprisingly difficult. You might have several candidates with impressive CVs, relevant experience and the technical knowledge required to do the job. Interviews take place, comparisons are made, and eventually, someone emerges as the preferred candidate.
But how confident are you that you’ve selected the right person?
One of the most common mistakes hiring managers make is choosing the candidate who performed best on the day, rather than the candidate who provides the strongest evidence against the requirements of the role.
It sounds like a subtle distinction, but it can have significant consequences.
An engaging interview, an impressive professional background or a particularly confident candidate can influence our judgement. Meanwhile, someone who has the skills, experience and potential to succeed might not necessarily be the most polished interviewee.
Making a sound hiring decision requires discipline, objectivity and a willingness to look beyond first impressions. It also means recognising that the recruitment process doesn’t end when the interview finishes. How candidates communicate and engage with you throughout the process can provide additional information when making your final decision.
1. Don’t confuse the best candidate with the best candidate on the day
It’s natural to have a favourite after interviewing several people. Perhaps someone was particularly articulate, confident or engaging. They may have established an excellent rapport with the interview panel, and their answers appeared more impressive than those of the other candidates.
But there’s a question worth asking: were they actually the strongest candidate against the selection criteria?
Interview performance can be influenced by many factors, including confidence, preparation, nerves, communication style and familiarity with the interview process. A candidate who presents themselves exceptionally well isn’t automatically the person with the greatest capability to perform the role.
Equally, someone who is less polished might have considerable experience and demonstrate strong evidence of their ability when given the opportunity.
This is why it is important to distinguish between what you liked about a candidate and what they actually demonstrated.
Before making a decision, return to the job description, person specification and essential criteria. Review the evidence each candidate provided against the requirements of the position. Consider their knowledge, skills, experience, behaviours and potential contribution.
If you cannot clearly explain why your preferred candidate is the strongest match, you might be making a decision based on personal preference rather than objective assessment.
2. Pay attention to communication throughout the recruitment process
An interview provides an opportunity to assess a candidate’s suitability, but it isn’t the only opportunity to learn about them.
Communication throughout the recruitment process can also reveal how someone approaches professional relationships, manages expectations, and responds to commitments.
Consider what happens after an offer is made. Does the candidate acknowledge the offer promptly? Do they respond to requests for information? Do they keep you informed if they need more time to decide? If there are delays or complications, do they communicate proactively?
None of these things should be considered in isolation. People have busy lives, existing employment commitments and personal circumstances that can affect their availability. A delayed response doesn’t automatically indicate a lack of interest or professionalism.
However, a repeated absence of communication, particularly when reasonable opportunities have been provided to make contact, is worth paying attention to.
I remember this from my years working in in-house recruitment. Candidates who became difficult to contact or whose communication deteriorated during their notice period sometimes presented further challenges before they even started their new role. It wasn’t a guarantee that the appointment would go wrong, but it was often a reason to pay closer attention.
Hiring managers should also recognise that communication is a two-way responsibility. Candidates are making decisions about their future, and the way an organisation communicates with them contributes to their experience of the recruitment process.
A timely update, a straightforward response to a question or a quick telephone call can make a significant difference. Don’t expect candidates to demonstrate good communication if the organisation isn’t demonstrating it either.
3. Don’t allow recruitment pressure to compromise your decision
Recruitment can be time-consuming. Advertising a vacancy, shortlisting applications, arranging interviews and managing the selection process all require time and resources.
When a position has been vacant for some time, there can be considerable pressure to appoint someone and move forward.
This is often when hiring managers become more flexible about their expectations.
A candidate who meets most of the requirements might suddenly seem like an excellent option. Someone who would previously have been considered a second choice becomes the preferred candidate because the alternative is starting the recruitment process again.
There is nothing wrong with appointing someone who meets the essential criteria but doesn’t necessarily tick every desirable box. Recruitment is about identifying the person with the strongest overall potential, not finding someone who is perfect.
The problem arises when the selection criteria are gradually lowered without proper consideration.
Before making an offer, ask yourself whether you would still select this candidate if the vacancy had only just been advertised and you had several other applicants to consider.
If the answer is no, it is worth examining why.
Sometimes the right decision is to recruit again. Sometimes it is to reconsider the interview assessment or explore whether a candidate has demonstrated transferable skills that weren’t immediately obvious.
What matters is that the decision is deliberate rather than driven by the desire to fill the vacancy.
4. Look beyond the interview when assessing suitability and commitment
A candidate’s interview performance provides valuable evidence, but it represents only one part of the recruitment process.
The period between making an offer and the candidate’s first day can also tell you something about their approach to communication and professional relationships.
For example, how does the candidate respond when you request additional information? Do they acknowledge messages? If they are experiencing difficulties with their notice period, do they keep you informed? If their circumstances change, do they communicate this in a timely and appropriate way?
These behaviours can be particularly relevant when recruiting for positions involving management, leadership, stakeholder relationships or regular communication with colleagues and customers.
However, it is important to avoid making assumptions about someone’s motivation or suitability based on one delayed response or an unfamiliar communication style.
A candidate might have perfectly legitimate reasons for being unavailable. They might also be reconsidering the offer, weighing up another opportunity or experiencing uncertainty about their next career move.
The appropriate response is to establish what is happening rather than jump to conclusions.
If communication becomes inconsistent, make contact. Ask whether there are any outstanding questions or concerns and give the candidate an opportunity to explain.
Remember that an offer is not an unconditional guarantee that someone will join your organisation. Candidates can change their minds, just as employers can reconsider an appointment when circumstances change.
Your responsibility as a hiring manager is to maintain professional communication, manage expectations and make informed decisions based on the information available.
It is also worth remembering that the way you handle this period can influence how a new employee feels about joining your team. The relationship between manager and employee begins well before their first working day.
5. Make your final decision based on evidence, not assumptions
When you’ve interviewed several candidates, it can be difficult to separate your overall impression from the evidence they provided.
This is where a structured approach to decision-making becomes particularly important.
Rather than relying on memory or discussing who you liked most, revisit the interview notes and compare each candidate against the same criteria.
Consider the following:
- Knowledge and experience: Does the candidate have the relevant knowledge and experience required for the position?
- Competence: Have they demonstrated the skills and behaviours needed to perform the role?
- Evidence: Can they provide specific examples of what they have personally achieved or contributed?
- Communication: Have they demonstrated an appropriate ability to communicate, engage and build professional relationships?
- Motivation: Do they understand the role and demonstrate a genuine interest in the opportunity?
- Potential: Where there are gaps in experience, is there sufficient evidence of transferable skills and the ability to develop?
It is equally important to recognise the difference between an absence of evidence and evidence of an absence of capability.
A candidate might not have demonstrated a particular skill during the interview, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t possess it. Perhaps the question wasn’t sufficiently probing, or they struggled to articulate their experience.
This is one reason why effective interviewing requires more than simply asking questions and recording answers. Interviewers need to explore responses, seek clarification and establish what the candidate actually did, how they approached the situation and what difference their contribution made.
Ultimately, your decision should be supported by evidence that can be explained and justified, rather than an overall feeling that someone would probably be a good fit.
Conclusion: A good hiring decision starts with discipline
Recruitment decisions have a lasting impact on organisations, teams and the individuals who join them.
The temptation to select the most impressive candidate on the day is understandable, particularly when recruitment has been challenging, or there is pressure to fill a vacancy. But a confident interview performance, an impressive CV or a positive personal impression should never replace a proper assessment against the requirements of the role.
Equally, don’t overlook the information you gain through communication during the recruitment process. How candidates engage, respond and manage expectations can provide useful additional insight, particularly when considered alongside the evidence gathered during selection.
My experience in in-house recruitment has reinforced the importance of looking at the bigger picture. A successful appointment isn’t simply about finding someone who can answer interview questions. It’s about identifying someone who has the capability, behaviours and motivation to make a positive contribution.
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