■ making prejudiced judgements on the grounds of sex, race,
disability, religion, appearance, accent, class, or any aspect of
the candidate’s life history, circumstances or career which do
not fit your preconceptions of what you are looking for.
Coming to a conclusion
Compare your assessment of each of the candidates against one
another. If any candidate fails in an area which is critical to
success, he or she should be rejected. You can’t take a chance.
Your choice should be made between the candidates who reach
an acceptable standard against each of the criteria. You can then
come to an overall judgement by reference to their assessments
under each heading and their career history as to which one is
most likely to succeed.
In the end, your decision between qualified candidates may
well be judgemental. There may be one outstanding candidate,
but quite often there are two or three. In these circumstances you
have to come to a balanced view on which one is more likely to
fit the job and the organization andhave potential for a long-term
career, if this is possible. Don’t, however, settle for second best in
desperation. It is better to try again.
Remember to make and keep notes of the reasons for your
choice and why candidates have been rejected. These, together
with the applications, should be kept for at least six months just
in case your decision is challenged as being discriminatory.
116 How to be an Even Better Manager