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Two Great Candidates. One Tough Decision.
When two exceptional candidates rise to the top of your recruitment process, you’d think the hard part is over. But when both have a standout resume, interview brilliantly, and seem like a great fit for your firm, you’re left with one surprisingly difficult question: Which one do you hire?
To make a confident, timely choice, consider these four strategies.
1. Take a Long-Term View
You may be hiring to fill an immediate need, but don’t lose sight of your broader talent strategy. Look beyond the current job requirements and assess each candidate’s potential to grow with your firm.
Does one demonstrate stronger leadership potential?
Does one bring niche skills or industry knowledge that isn’t essential now but could add value later?
Choosing the candidate with greater long-term upside can pay dividends well beyond the initial role.
2.Consider Team Contribution and Preferred Working Style
When two candidates look equally strong, consider the behaviours, personal characteristics and working preferences each would bring to the role and team. These should be considered alongside the competencies already identified for the position.
Review the evidence gathered during the interview and assessment process, including how each candidate works with others and the contribution they are likely to make to the team. Involve the relevant people in the final review so the decision is not based on one person’s judgement alone.
3. Use Objective Assessments to assess Technical Skills, Cognitive Ability, and Personality
Interviews and resumes provide useful impressions, but objective assessments offer the clarity needed to distinguish between two high-calibre finalists. Using a structured three-test approach gives you insight into:
Technical skills - Can the candidate actually perform the core tasks required for the role?
Cognitive ability - How quickly will they learn, problem-solve, and adapt as responsibilities evolve?
Personality and work style - What personal characteristics, preferences and preferred working style are they likely to bring to the role and team?
Together, these assessments provide an evidence-based approach to hiring. Technical testing confirms on-the-job capability, cognitive testing predicts future performance and adaptability, and personality profiling reveals behavioural strengths and potential challenges.
Review the results alongside the structured interview and reference checks rather than relying on one result alone. Combining several sources of information gives you a clearer basis for assessing the candidates and making the final decision.
4. Consider Hiring Both, If It Makes Sense
If, after careful evaluation, you still can’t choose, there’s another option many firms overlook: hire both.
This isn’t always feasible and it depends on budget, team structure, and workload. But when possible, bringing both candidates on board can be a strategic advantage. Skilled talent is hard to find, and your business needs can shift quickly. Hiring two high-quality candidates now may save you from restarting the recruitment process sooner than you expect.
If you do go this route, ensure there’s enough meaningful work to keep both engaged. Consider whether they could tackle back-burner projects or fill different gaps in the team, or alleviate pressure on overloaded team members.
If You Hire Only One, Keep the Other Warm
If hiring both isn’t viable, don’t let the runner-up disappear.
Let the unsuccessful candidate know promptly and maintain a positive relationship. Where appropriate, provide constructive feedback and ask whether they would be open to hearing about future opportunities. A candidate who narrowly missed out on this role may be well suited to your next vacancy.
Donna Roughan | Donna brings decades of expertise in accounting and business advisory, having held pivotal roles including Director at PwC, and offers extensive executive experience spanning both finance and operations.
