3 Steps to Ensure a High-Quality Hire - ApplicantStack

Hiring the right person can make or break your team. We’ve all been there—spending weeks interviewing candidates, only to realize three months later that your new hire isn’t quite the right fit. It’s frustrating, expensive, and a bit demoralizing for everyone involved.

The good news? You can dramatically improve your chances of making a great hire by following three straightforward steps. These aren’t revolutionary concepts, but they’re often overlooked in the rush to fill an empty seat. Let’s walk through each one.

Step 1: Define Success Before You Start Looking

Most hiring managers jump straight into writing job descriptions without clearly defining what success looks like in the role. This is like trying to hit a target you can’t see—you might get lucky, but you probably won’t.

Start by having an honest conversation with your team about what this person needs to achieve in their first 90 days, six months, and year. What specific outcomes would make you think, “Yes, this hire was absolutely worth it”?

For example, instead of listing “strong communication skills” in your job description, define what that actually means. Do you need someone who can present to senior leadership? Someone who can explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders? Or perhaps someone who excels at written communication for client reports?

The more specific you are about success metrics, the easier it becomes to identify candidates who can actually deliver them. Plus, candidates appreciate clarity, as it helps them self-select and saves everyone time.

Step 2: Look Beyond the Resume

Resumes tell you what someone has done, not how well they did it or how they think. While experience matters, it’s not the whole picture. Consider adding a practical element to your hiring process. This doesn’t mean asking candidates to work for free, but rather creating a realistic scenario that mirrors the actual work they’d be doing. A marketing candidate might walk through how they’d approach a campaign brief. A developer might explain their thought process for solving a common technical challenge.

Pay attention to how candidates approach problems, not just their final answers. Do they ask clarifying questions? Do they consider multiple solutions? How do they handle uncertainty?

References are another goldmine that many hiring managers don’t fully utilize. Instead of just confirming employment dates, ask specific questions about the candidate’s performance. “Can you give me an example of when Sarah had to handle a difficult client situation?” will tell you much more than “Was Sarah a good employee?”

Step 3: Involve Your Team in the Decision

Your new hire won’t just be working for you—they’ll be working with your team. Yet many managers make hiring decisions in isolation, then wonder why team dynamics feel off.

Include key team members in the interview process, but give them specific areas to focus on. One person might assess technical skills, while another evaluates cultural fit. This approach gives you multiple perspectives and helps ensure the candidate can work effectively with different personality types.

After each interview, gather feedback systematically. What did each interviewer observe? Were there any red flags or particularly impressive moments? Look for patterns in the feedback. If multiple people have concerns about the same thing, it’s worth paying attention to.

Remember, hiring is a team sport. The more invested your team feels in the process, the more likely they are to support and integrate the new hire successfully.

Getting Started

Quality hiring doesn’t happen by accident. It requires intention, structure, and a willingness to invest time upfront to save headaches later.

Before your next hire, take thirty minutes to work through these three steps. Define what success looks like, plan how you’ll assess beyond the resume, and decide who from your team should be involved. Your future self (and your team) will thank you for it.

Great hires are out there—you just need the right process to find them. With ApplicantStack, it’s easier and more efficient to identify top talent and move them through the funnel faster. Utilize this applicant-tracking system to improve your recruiting process and find the best person to fill an open role.