Here's the final installment of the one position I get to hire this year.

I invited five finalists back and each one had to present a training session on the same subject. While I thought all were equally matched after the first interview, this was an opportunity to have them deliver their best stuff.

The only constraints on them were the subject matter, and the length of time. They could design and deliver in any format that played to their strengths. They each got the assignment on the same day and had almost 10 days to prepare.

Three days after we sent out the requirements, one of the candidates withdrew. She had been offered and accepted another position. This was great news, for her. I couldn't blame her for accepting an offer in this economy. Besides, now two of these five would end up with jobs.

The four remaining presentations were held over two days last week. I was surprised by how dramatically different they were. Not in style or content, but in research, effort and execution.

I'm a strong believer of hiring people who strengths offset my weaknesses. I also believe in hiring women and minorities. Three of the finalists were women, two were persons of color, and one was a white male.

I had a colleague who would be an internal customer of the person of the person we would be hiring. This was to assess fit and to see if the candidate understood internal customer relationships. Her input and support of any hiring decision was very important.

Our first candidate presented and did an exceptional job. She researched our business, presented scenarios that were almost spot on to our real ife workplace and gave a compelling and engaging presentation. This was great! We could actually plug in her presentation into our curriculm without making any changes.

The second candidate came along that afternoon. His presentation was a real disappointment. While the content was appropriate, he had "lifted" this from his previous work and made no effort to incorporate the needs of our business into the design. This clearly did not meet our needs. There also was a considerable drop off between the first and second interview. Note to job candidates, make your second visit more memorable than the first

Two days later we had the final two in for their presentations. Both had better presentations than our second candidate, but fell short of that of the first presenter.

I knew immediately after the last interview who I wanted to hire. My colleague was in full agreement.

I worked with my HR business partner on how much to offer the candidate, the refernce checks etc., and an offer was made and accepted yesterday. I'm very excited. A clear choice emerged out of the second interview and I know I made the right choice for our business.

Just note about compensation. I had a pay range that was established by the job description and a competive view of the job market. The amount that was offered was set in stone before I decided on the candidate. Gender played no role in how much this person is being paid. They are being fairly compensated. I couldn't and wouldn't do it any differently.

If you're looking for a job please always bring your best stuff.  Research the company that you want to work for and when an employer offers to answer any questions after an interview session ends, go back with questions that can help you be more aware of the company and its customers. Showcase how your strengths improve the performance of the business.