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You’ve recruited and interviewed several candidates. Two of them came back for second interviews. And in the final analysis, it’s clear that both are great candidates for the job.

That’s a good problem to have! But it can also make choosing the right one a challenge. When it comes to making the final decision, ask yourself questions about their skills and ability to fit with the organization. Here are three questions to ask.

What’s Your Most Important Need?

If you have two great candidates, frankly, it’s likely both have the skills to give you excellent performance. It’s also likely both would be a good fit with the company’s culture.

You’ll need to make the decision based on what you need most. Literally, rank your needs in order of importance. Is it to expand your customer service capabilities? To start a social media campaign on Snapchat? To increase sales? To add an all-around player to your top-performing team? The person who can fit that need to the highest degree is the one to choose.

Who Has the Strongest Record of Achievement?

It’s smart to hire a candidate who can grow in the position and rack up significant achievements going forward. Generally, past performance is a really good predictor of future performance. To pick the candidate most likely to achieve optimally in the open position, you need to ask yourself which one has the strongest record of past achievement.

Whether it’s starting social media campaigns, hitting the top of the sales charts or strengthening a team, it’s likely that way to have achievements happen is to choose the person who has made them happen the most in the past.

Who Would You Most Want to Hang Out With?

The third question focuses on fit. Fit, after all, is a crucial determinant of future success in a company. If the most outstanding performers don’t fit with the culture of their co-workers, they may not be able to do well in the company.

A key question to determine fit is to ask yourself what candidate you would most like to hang out with after work. Does it seem like discussing anything from the World Series to Netflix would be a lot of fun? Then that person fits with you. Some companies even have social interviews in informal environments like a pub to assess fit.

These questions can help you figure out which of two great candidates is the absolute best.

If you need to hire great candidates, we’re here to help! Contact us today.