The Dilemma of Deciding Between Two Great Candidates

Hiring is down slightly in the energy industry right now, which means the number of outstanding candidates available is up.  This is great news for energy companies seeking capable talent – until the moment when you have to choose between two equally outstanding candidates.

Here’s how to make the decision between two people who would be great for the job:

Ask, “What’s the #1 thing we need most in this new hire?”

By the time you’re weighing two great candidates, you know that both of them have a wide range of the skills and experience needed to do the work.  It’s time to dig deeper.

Instead of asking how many boxes each candidate’s background checks off, ask which boxes the candidate can check off – and which are most important.  Perhaps what you need is a highly organized and analytical person or someone with specific experience handling a certain process or computer system.  Choose the person who has what you need most.

Factor in enthusiasm.

When two candidates both have great credentials, it’s also important to ask who seems to be more enthusiastic about the job. The candidate who expresses a greater desire to work with your team, seems to know more about your organization, or is really looking forward to digging into the problems you need this person to solve is probably going to do better work, mesh better with the team, and be less likely to “jump ship” for a better job offer.  Never discount the power of enthusiasm in a candidate.

See how the team likes them.

Take the time to introduce each candidate to the people they’ll work alongside every day. Then, ask the team members which candidate seemed to “click” better with the team.  Since adding a new hire affects an entire team’s productivity, it’s valuable to test how each candidate is viewed and treated by the team before you make the final hiring decision.

At FootBridge Energy Services, our recruiters specialize in connecting our oil and gas industry clients with the best available talent at every stage in the energy industry’s volatile hiring cycle.  Contact us today to learn more about our energy sector staffing solutions.