Bringing in the right people to your team is always important, but can be a bit of a challenge. Sifting through piles of resumes and spending time in interviews can help you to find someone with the skills and personality to fit into your team, but it can be difficult to know what to look for. 
Most hiring guides focus on finding the right skill set, but there are some things beyond the resume that you can try to find your ultimate new employee.
Give Them a Test
More companies are using various tests to put candidates through their paces. Skills tests are the most common. You could set them a task to complete before they come in to meet you, or give them a test during the interview, depending on what sort of work they’d be doing for you.
For example, if you’re hiring a copywriter, ask them to bring an example of a post for your company blog. If the job will involve speaking to clients on the phone, have them complete a mock phone call. If the job is less task basked, like a marketing manager, show them a current campaign and ask for their thoughts or feedback.
Some companies offer personality tests, so you can find the right character to meld with the rest of your team. If the nature of the work is sensitive, you could also administer an honesty test. This would test their integrity and commitment to their work, their reliability and loyalty.
Look for Extra Attention
Look out for applications that go the extra mile. Putting in the effort is a good sign that somebody will do the same in their job. Put aside their resume for a moment and focus on the cover letter. Is it well crafted and well written? Have they talked about any interesting hobbies or skills that you think will give them an edge?
Look out for candidates who do things like send you an email after interview to follow up and thank you for meeting with them. Did they ask interesting questions back to you in the interview?
One common trick that some hirers use is to ask for specific information in the cover letter or email subject line. This shows the candidate has fully read the job advert properly. For example, you could put a note in the last paragraph asking the candidate to include their favourite animal in the email subject line. If they don’t do it, you’ll know they haven’t read the advert properly, suggesting a lack of attention to detail.
Look for Personality
You can train someone to do the job you want, but you can’t teach personality. You need to know the candidate will be happy working with your team for eight hours a day. Will they get along? Interviews can be a tough way to judge what someone is like; candidates are nervous or are on their best behaviour.
Try to be a little more relaxed and informal yourself to help them relax and show their true self. Take them with you to the office kitchen before the interview to make them a drink and make some small talk outside of the interview setting.
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