It has been a busy couple of months for recruitment and the job market is tight. Great opportunities abound and employers are losing candidates by dragging their feet. While I am all about waiting for the right person, we need to recruit actively and consistently to keep candidates engaged and excited about our opportunity.
Whether you are working with an internal or external recruiter, taking time to properly define the position requirements and success criteria will save you a lot of time down the road, and make hiring decisions more clear. Here are a few tips to set your search up for success.
Identify wants vs. needs. Writing a job posting is sort of like a personals ad. You describe your dream date. In all likelihood this mythical creature does not exist. Identify what skills are truly critical for success vs. the preferred or “nice to have” skills.
Whether you are working with an internal or external recruiter, taking time to properly define the position requirements and success criteria will save you a lot of time down the road, and make hiring decisions more clear. Here are a few tips to set your search up for success.
Identify wants vs. needs. Writing a job posting is sort of like a personals ad. You describe your dream date. In all likelihood this mythical creature does not exist. Identify what skills are truly critical for success vs. the preferred or “nice to have” skills.
Beware of shiny objects. "Wow, this person is a lawyer." Well, how lovely for them. How is being a lawyer going to help them in the position you are hiring for?
Experience vs. aptitude. A colleague once told me that there is a difference between someone who has six years’ experience and a person who has one year of experience 6 times. Pause...wait...process. Ok. The divide between a person who continually grows and learns and someone who is content to recycle the same skills time and time again is huge. While experience matters, aptitude and desire to continually learn s essential for success in today's job market.
Dig deeper. The larger the interview team becomes, the harder it is too move beyond superficial answers to interview questions. We have 20 questions, each person gets to ask 5 questions and we are going to get through them all, substance be damned. Allow enough time in your interview schedule to dig a little deeper. Any member of the interview team should be encouraged to interject to ask for more details or further information. If you aren't familiar with the STAR interviewing method, take a moment to learn it (you can google it, or give me a call).
Likeability ≠ performance success. I may be the most likeable person you know, but I would be an absolute failure in an accounting or engineering role. Did I mention I once scored in the 1st percentile for mechanical aptitude (higher is better)? A person with exceptional social skills can sometimes lull you into a false sense of confidence in their abilities.
Evaluate objectively. Just as you identified wants vs needs early on, take time to create a candidate evaluation grid. On the left side create a row of competencies. On the right side list each candidate's name. These competences can be grouped into experiences, knowledge, interpersonal skills and culture fit, or any categories that are relevant to your position. I would also recommend "weighting" the criteria. If you are hiring a Design Engineer it is probably more important that they are proficient in CAD systems than it is to be knowledgeable about balanced scorecards.
Culture always wins. A recruiter can be a great resource to help you identify key knowledge, skills and abilities. He can often find candidates you would not find on your own. She can help you structure interviews and conduct reference checks. He can advise you regarding the best candidate in terms of skills, abilities and growth potential. She can teach you how to market opportunities and make a position attractive to job candidates. What she can't tell you is who is going to fit best on a day-to-day and longer term basis. If the recruiter has supported you for a while, she probably knows your culture pretty well. He knows that a cowboy will struggle in your collaborative culture. However, ultimately you are the person who will live with this hire day in and day out.
Spend the time up front to know what you need. Beware of shiny objects. Dig deeper. Likeability does not equal performance success. Evaluate objectively and remember that culture always wins.
Experience vs. aptitude. A colleague once told me that there is a difference between someone who has six years’ experience and a person who has one year of experience 6 times. Pause...wait...process. Ok. The divide between a person who continually grows and learns and someone who is content to recycle the same skills time and time again is huge. While experience matters, aptitude and desire to continually learn s essential for success in today's job market.
Dig deeper. The larger the interview team becomes, the harder it is too move beyond superficial answers to interview questions. We have 20 questions, each person gets to ask 5 questions and we are going to get through them all, substance be damned. Allow enough time in your interview schedule to dig a little deeper. Any member of the interview team should be encouraged to interject to ask for more details or further information. If you aren't familiar with the STAR interviewing method, take a moment to learn it (you can google it, or give me a call).
Likeability ≠ performance success. I may be the most likeable person you know, but I would be an absolute failure in an accounting or engineering role. Did I mention I once scored in the 1st percentile for mechanical aptitude (higher is better)? A person with exceptional social skills can sometimes lull you into a false sense of confidence in their abilities.
Evaluate objectively. Just as you identified wants vs needs early on, take time to create a candidate evaluation grid. On the left side create a row of competencies. On the right side list each candidate's name. These competences can be grouped into experiences, knowledge, interpersonal skills and culture fit, or any categories that are relevant to your position. I would also recommend "weighting" the criteria. If you are hiring a Design Engineer it is probably more important that they are proficient in CAD systems than it is to be knowledgeable about balanced scorecards.
Culture always wins. A recruiter can be a great resource to help you identify key knowledge, skills and abilities. He can often find candidates you would not find on your own. She can help you structure interviews and conduct reference checks. He can advise you regarding the best candidate in terms of skills, abilities and growth potential. She can teach you how to market opportunities and make a position attractive to job candidates. What she can't tell you is who is going to fit best on a day-to-day and longer term basis. If the recruiter has supported you for a while, she probably knows your culture pretty well. He knows that a cowboy will struggle in your collaborative culture. However, ultimately you are the person who will live with this hire day in and day out.
Spend the time up front to know what you need. Beware of shiny objects. Dig deeper. Likeability does not equal performance success. Evaluate objectively and remember that culture always wins.