“You’ll just know when you’ve found the right one” is a phrase I have heard a lot lately as my husband and I have been on the hunt for our first home. This is also a phrase we often hear throughout our careers during the hiring process.
After looking at countless houses over the last year, meticulously inspecting and picking apart details of every candidate, we still had not found “the one.” I started to think I was given false hope. I conceded that we were just going to have to settle and do what we could to make one choice our own. That is until we recently found “the one!” It was as everyone said – we just knew the second we walked in the front door. It was love at first sight. It was home.
Having this fresh on the brain when I got to work the next morning, it got me thinking, as it relates to work, how do you know you’ve found the right fit when interviewing and hiring candidates for a job?
Here are three tips to ensure you find the right one:
#### 1. Hire for retention.
They picked the “house,” show them why they should want to live in it long-term. [Engage the candidate](http://www.inc.com/jerome-ternynck/hire-for-the-long-haul-6-tips-to-find-candidates-who-will-stay.html) in a meaningful way and treat them as an equal. They are interviewing you as much as you are interviewing them. By establishing a rapport at the beginning, you have a better chance of long-term retention.
#### 2. Ensure they fit the personality of the “house.”
Skill is important, but no candidate is perfect. Instead of nitpicking every detail listed on their resume, focus on how they interact with you. How they speak, how comfortable they look, how they adapt to different interviewers and even how they enter the room are important when considering how they will fit into the organization.
#### 3. Assess the candidate’s potential today and in the future.
Will the candidate still be [a good fit](https://hbr.org/2015/01/how-to-conduct-an-effective-job-interview&cm_sp=Article-_-Links-_-End%20of%20Page%20Recirculation) after being promoted and as the industry and organization evolves and changes? Are they a forward-thinker? Consider their potential to grow and help the organization grow.
How do you ensure you find the right one during the hiring process? We’d love to hear your success stories. Share your thoughts and tips below.
