As I mentioned in my last blog of this type, I hope to make “calling all HR.com managers” a regular feature. This week, I will pose a question based upon a Washington Post article by Michelle Singletary.

Dear HR.com Managers,

We recently advertised for a replacement  for our office manager. After working my way through a flood of resumes I interviewed five applicants. The interviews went well, and I have narrowed my selection down to two candidates.

One individual does not have a great deal of experience, but is well educated and is very enthusiastic about our organization and vision. I will have to spend a fair bit of time training this individual, but think that he will remain with the company for a while until he gains skills and experience.

The other candidate is very experienced and, unfortunately, was recently laid off from a job with a lot of responsibility and what I suspect to be a fairly high salary. This individual claims to be happy to work in a less stressful job and make use of her skills to further the goals of our company. She explained that she is planning to remain at her next job for a long time and is at a point in her life where she is not concerned about accepting a lower salary or giving up supervising a large team.

We are a small office and hiring decisions, if not made properly, cost us money that we cannot afford to lose. My main concern is that I choose a candidate who will be engaged by the work and who will remain with us for more than a few years.

Do you have any suggestions around how I can determine if the more experienced candidate is sincere about wanting to stay with this job on a long-term basis?

References:
Singletary, Michelle. "Landing a Job When Your Résumé's Too Good for It." The Washington Post [www.washingtonpost.com]. April 19, 2009.