Essay Example on Interviews: Don't Stop at the First Candidate

Where the first interview candidate proves to be the best fit for an advertised role, the temptation to offer them the job right away and call off the remaining interviews is usually high. But the rule of the thumb in professional HR practice is to continue with the interview for the rest of the shortlisted candidates before giving a job offer to the preferred applicant. If a recruiter gets it right at the points of the job description and shortlisting, the few who make it to the interview will likely be qualified to take up the role. Therefore, Ms. Dawson should proceed to have the interview with Cindy Brown as they had scheduled despite having settled for him beforehand.

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Arguably, there is nothing wrong with interviewing other shortlisted candidates when a recruiter knows their first candidate, but such a decision has its pros and cons. One advantage of meeting all the shortlisted applicants even after identifying the right candidate is that it helps the HR team to know what is left out there, in case they have similar or related openings in the future. In this case, Dawson herself having scrutinized Brown's resume acknowledges that though she does not compare to Simon, she could be a great fit for a future position in the company.

Moreover, interviewing Brown offers Dawson an opportunity to learn more about Nevis Consulting, the company she currently works for, which is the biggest competitor of HR Enterprises. All Dawson needs to do is to use her interviewing skills to get the right information from Brown when asking questions about her experience. Information about competitors such as their company structure, billing rates, marketing strategies will help HR Enterprises make its marketing, services, and products stand out. Knowledge of competitor strategies can enable the company to make its prices competitive and respond to the campaign initiatives of its rival. Further, the information obtained from Brown could thus help the company Dawson’s organization to take advantage of the weaknesses of Nevis Consulting and improve its own performance.

However, proceeding with Brown’s interview puts Dawson in an ethical dilemma. Keeping in mind that Simons had another offer on the table with a tight deadline, she is under pressure to extend an offer to him and fears that they might lose him if they wait until she interviews Brown. Indeed, there is always a great likelihood of losing the original candidate in such situations. When a candidate is as good as Simons, other organizations are also likely to find him highly viable, and that puts him in great demand. The only way to avoid the risk of losing a great interviewee that perfectly fits all the job and personality requirements is to strike the iron while it is hot.

Conclusion

Therefore, Dawson should go ahead and offer Simons the job immediately as she waits to interview Brown. Therefore, Dawson cannot let Brown know that this position has already been filled because she still needs to interview her. Fortunately, there is no way Brown would know the job is taken unless she gets communication to that effect from Dawson. While this arrangement will not be fair for Brown, it is in the best interest of HR Enterprises, which is the initiator of the recruitment process. Besides, Brown loses nothing because being shortlisted for an interview does not guarantee a job.