The Importance of Factual, Objective Investigations in the Hiring Process

You might think that the word “investigation” sounds very formal, but the fact is that we tend to investigate everything before taking an important step. For example, if you want to buy a home, you’re going to do some investigation first. You’ll find out if the home is located in a good neighborhood, whether the seller is asking for a fair price, whether there are amenities available around the home, etc. Similarly, during the hiring process, you need to investigate a candidate’s background to make sure you’re making the right decision.

Factual, Objective Things You Need to Know About a Job Candidate During the Hiring Process

There are many aspects of a person’s background that you need to know more about during the hiring process.

You want to know exactly what they’ve studied, what kind of school they went to, and how well they did at school.
You also want to know if they’ve worked anywhere else before applying for a job with you. What positions have they held and how long have they held them? Plus, why did they leave? And, what do people in those offices have to say about them?
Additionally, you’ll want to know if they have ever broken the law or served time. And, if so, has it happened more than once? What were the charges brought against them?

Non-Factual, Subjective Things You Need to Know About a Job Candidate

In addition to the above factual things, you might also want to investigate non-factual things that are important on the job.

How well do they communicate? Do they seem to get along with people generally or do they keep to themselves?
Are they hardworking? Will they show up on time every morning and put in the hours needed to keep your company going?
Are they creative problem-solvers or do they just give up when they can’t figure something out?

Are the Factual, Objective Things You Know About the Candidate True?

As far as the non-factual, subjective things are concerned, you may have to try and figure them out from your impression of the person during their interview. As far as the factual things are concerned, you do have another option i.e. background checks during the hiring process. Why not make sure that the facts you have about the candidate are all true? That way, you can focus on figuring out if they will be a good fit in your organization.