Assessing attention to detail in future employees

Attention to detail is one of the most in demand qualities in job adverts, regardless of industry or sector.

Why is attention to detail so important?

For employers, attention to detail is ranked very highly in terms of importance. Employees who demonstrate attention to detail often produce high quality work and mistakes are usually spotted and rectified in a timely manner. Neglecting attention to detail and failing to spot both common and considerable mistakes can be costly for organisations. Therefore, employees must understand the importance of attention to detail and must be able to illustrate their capabilities of carrying out high quality work.

Having detailed-oriented team members can help to create new and improved processes and procedures to ensure the whole team is working more efficiently and effectively as a collective.

How does an employer spot a detail-oriented candidate?

There are many ways in which an employer can find out if a job applicant has good attention to detail. The most common way is by reviewing the candidates job application. Often, an employer will glance over a CV searching for spelling and grammar errors which candidates may have missed. This is one of the easiest ways to assess a candidate’s level of attention to detail as it demonstrates the effort that was given to their application. By perfecting their application and removing all spelling mistakes, candidates are sending a message they really want the job.  

Another way an employer can assess attention to detail is by viewing a sample of the candidate’s previous work. Employers may ask for a portfolio or a representative sample of previous work alongside the job application.

What attention orientated questions could be used in an interview?

Here are few examples of interview questions employers could use to assess attention to detail.

• Tell me how you manage your daily workload?
  • Candidates with good attention to detail will organise their work and time effectively.
• What tools do you use to minimise mistakes in your work?
  • Identify the processes candidates used to check their work.
• When have you made a mistake in your work?
  • Candidates can explain how the mistake was made and what they did to fix it.
• Have you ever worked on something where it was crucial to be accurate?
  • Discuss a candidate’s experience of having to use attention to detail.
• A customer/client sends over a request and you don’t understand it. What do you do?
  • Understand what a candidate would do if they were in this situation.

Identifying if a candidate is detail-oriented will help to ensure they perform well in their role and benefit your organisation. For any further recruitment enquiries please contact the Absolute Personnel team on 01743 461239.