5 Tips for Hiring Entry Level Job Candidates

As one of the leading staffing firms in South Florida, Future Force knows that a lack of experience makes it especially tough to evaluate a candidate and make good entry-level hiring decisions. However, with the right approach, you can add strong junior members to your team – and have a positive impact on business productivity. Here’s how to do it:

Look for those who are motivated.

Perhaps a candidate has held an after school job for several years. Maybe they had an internship or perform regular volunteer work. Whatever the case, these are all signs of a motivated candidate. So when hiring for entry level positions, look for those who have a history of accomplishing and succeeding.

Make sure they follow directions.

This sounds like a no-brainer. And yet, many candidates don’t follow simple directions, whether it’s not bringing a copy of their resume with them or not providing a reference list when asked. But this simply shows that they either don’t care or aren’t detail-oriented. So when you find one who does follow your directions, they’re worth a second look.

Ask the right questions.

It’s tough to ask behavior-based interview questions when a candidate doesn’t have much experience to go on. Instead, ask more hypothetical ones, such as “what would you do in X challenging situation?” or “how would you handle a customer who wasn’t satisfied?” Asking these kinds of questions can get you into the minds of candidates, so you can understand how they think and how they’ll operate once on the job.

Give them a homework assignment.

If you’re not sure whether or not a candidate will be able to do the job, give them an assignment. You shouldn’t be tasking them with a two-day project. However, you can give them a small assignment that’s similar to the type of work they’d perform if hired. That way, you can better gauge the quality of their work in a more realistic way.

Be sure to train and onboard them.

Every new hire needs some form of training and onboarding, but this is especially true for entry level employees. Make sure you offer a comprehensive onboarding program so they can learn about the company, as well as what’s expected of them. Also, provide them with ample training and educational opportunities so they can learn what they need to be successful on the job.

Need more help finding promising talent for your entry-level positions?

Contact the experts at Future Force. As one of the leading staffing firms in South Florida, we’ve been providing local employers with fast access to the area’s top talent. So if you’re ready for some professional help staffing your team, give Future Force a call.