Is It The Right Candidate? pt. 2

In my last article I talked about the potential for paralysis by analysis related to being confident in making the right hire. It can be a daunting task and the stress of “is there a better candidate” has caused hiring go to awry countless times. I compared it to a story a friend told me who writes for a living. He’s always nervous to submit a piece because he always feels he could have done more. For him, deadlines keep him on pace and moving forward. For hiring managers that isn’t always the case. Many believe their job is so attractive that they can string out the process longer than necessary without any consequences. I’m going to get into the consequences in another piece, but I want to start with more detail pertaining to how you, as a Hiring Manager, can overcome your concern of ‘is it the right candidate” to feel confident in making an offer.

First, find a recruiter who specializes in your industry and your discipline. I specialize in sales roles, from individual contributor to C-suite, in Contract Interiors and Building Materials so that I can speak the language and have a more intelligent conversation with the hiring manager and with candidates. This helps to clarify exactly what the hiring manager is looking for, articulate the specifics of the position more effectively with candidates, and provide a better hiring experience for both sides. For this to be effective, the hiring manager and the recruiter need to have a clear understanding of two things: 1) the position, the responsibilities, how it fits into the team, what the goals are, and how success will be measured. 2) the company culture, how they operate, the tribal knowledge, their go-to-market strategy, and how they fit into the industry. In other words, the tangibles of sales vs the intangibles of sales. A common misconception is that sales is sales is sales. Nothing could be further from the truth. Understanding the nuances of the position and company require a recruiter who understands the industry at large.

Second, making a job change is always disruptive and always requires a leap of faith by both parties: hiring manager and candidate alike. However, if the recruiter can intelligently explore the position with the candidates, this will lead to better results. Candidates will be able to visualize the position, better assess their ability to perform the necessary functions, and understand how they fit into the culture. Candidates will have appropriate expectations which will lead to better interviews with more in-depth conversations pertaining to the role. Ultimately, this will lead to more inappropriate candidates being naturally weeded out and the best candidates rising to the top. Remember, “best candidate” is purely subjective to each position being recruited for, but if the recruiter doesn’t understand the position and company, how can they find the best candidate? A rock star at company A doing business development could fail miserably at company B doing account management.

I’m going to expand upon this in a different article but always remember that you recruiter is the face of this position. As I mentioned in my previous article, I reach out to over 100 candidates for every position. All of those candidates exist within your market and your industry. These are the people your team competes with. What kind of impression do you want your recruiter to leave? In part 3 of this series, I’m gong to explore a simple technique called a “4 Box” in order to help facilitate the hiring process.