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Hiring for any position requires a lot to consider. Take for example the amount of time taken to source for the qualified candidates, shortlisting them, inviting them for an interview and lastly, the interview itself. And even after that, getting back to them with a job offer or a rejection.

That said, as HR or the interviewer of any position, you want to take extra care in finding the right candidate especially if you are hiring for a mid-level position. This certain kind of job level requires several key elements to make the incumbent fit into the position.

“I was recently attended an interview for a Data Statistician with an SME. Among many skills, the job requires a highly intelligent candidate who can multitask and lead a team of two. I however did not get a chance or get the right questions to expound more on times when I have been excellent in my line of work.”

That happens to almost every job candidate in every job market out there. What does that lead to? One, they (job candidate) ends up feeling as if they didn’t get a chance to sell their key skills and two, you as the business/HR/Interviewer end up losing what would have been a terrific candidate.

“As the world of work is changing — constantly reorganizing, fragmenting, and requiring market reconceptualization – you’ve got to ask the right interview questions,” reads an interesting article on Monster. What more does the interviewer need to have under their belt? “They should be able to have internal questions to see if the candidate has the attributes you need to grow your business and adapt to constant change.”

Back to our Data Statistician interviewing in the Kenyan job market. Here is you should look out for to avoid time wastage and resources on your end and for the job candidate to feel as if they got the chance to interview well.

For starters:
1. Get To know more about their Problem Solving Skills

Obviously this is a post which is way beyond entry level. As such, the right fit should be able to problem solve on areas surrounding their key skills. To show competency during the interview, they should be able to tell you about a time when they were able to come up with solutions pertaining a particular task.

This should be relatively easy especially if they are go-getters who like to get things done right and finding their own work around and solutions on day to day task related problems.

2. Ownership and responsibility of tasks
What does the job entail?

Will it require a person that’s hands-on on tasks?

Do you need someone who can delegate?

For any hiring manager, they will be able to tell you that Intermediate, First Level Management to Mid-level Management job positions are not an easy to find the right fit for. As such, the right candidate should be able to give concrete examples on a time when they were able to accomplish any if not all of the above.

For Interviewing Preparation for job candidates, feel free to reach out to us for consultation.