When matching the right candidate with client needs, it is
critical to look beyond the job description and consider the possible growth
and changes that will take place in the job and the company as a whole.
Recruiters must investigate the
flexibility of each candidate to find out how adaptable they are to change and
how well them will grow with the potential employer. Here are a few things you
need to look for in candidates to determine their level of flexibility.
#1 - Does the candidate enjoy his/her work? This is a critical question because as
the job market tightens many candidates may apply for positions as a temporary
stop-gap until the job market improves. Candidates who are using a job as a
stop-gap will be unlikely to show flexibility or willingness to adapt with a
growing company.
#2 - Is the candidate able to tolerate rapid change? Candidates who are flexible usually are
able to tolerate situations that change rapidly especially in a fast-paced
company. One way to determine if a candidate can tolerate rapid change is to
quiz them about situations at former jobs that required them to adapt quickly
to change.
#3 - Is the candidate willing to change the way they do
things to "fit into" a new company culture? It's important that
candidates are willing to change work habits if they want to work with a new
employer's process as opposed to against it. To find out if a candidate is
willing to change their way of doing things, ask them about a situation that
challenged their way of thinking or doing things. Did they change? Do they
acknowledge that they could possibly be wrong?