Can an External Recruiter Impact Change in Hiring Practices of an Organization to Better Prepare them for Success in the Future?
The answer is a resounding yes! Notably there are some key success factors that can be identified that are even more important than the skill set for the job. After all, a candidate’s career is viewed on the same level as his or her family or faith. So why shouldn’t a hiring manager or company go beyond posting an opening built to identify the ideal candidate, generate interviews and then decide on a candidate based on skill set for the current need?
We see more often than not, the company, specifically the hiring manager chooses someone whose qualifications most closely match the exact criteria for the job or whose background is similar to theirs. With this process, frequently poor hires are made, and competent and qualified people don’t get the job, or sometimes even an interview, because they do not fit the preconceived notion of the right fit. The realization of this presents a great opportunity for companies to reconsider and potentially improve how they view, screen, interview and engage with talent.
Leaders who have responsibility for hiring have a tendency to see what they’re looking for, especially when they are primed and ready to look for specific things. Focusing too much on set criteria for the ideal candidate or being blind to red flags, or other needs in their organization for the future, can lead to serious hiring mistakes, especially when everybody on the team is looking at applicants through the same lens.
Great External Recruiters cultivate the ability to identify and recognize the right people for the job, even individuals with non-traditional backgrounds or with skills outside the exact criteria and this can be a tremendous advantage for a business. What will you gain from using a recruitment process like this?
- Multiple perspectives for technical or business problems or challenges
- Fresh perspectives in day-to-day operations
- Ability to utilize resources in multiple areas of need
Many companies don’t take risks when hiring new talent. Employees with traditional backgrounds and similar skill sets yield predictable results. The tricky part about expanding the hiring horizon is finding the right fit even if the candidate’s background falls outside the range of the safe, defined criteria.
Here are several ways Boaz Partners recommends on how to avoid mistakes while widening the candidate pool:
- Hyper focus on the candidate’s potential. Personality of the prospective new hire must be a primary focus. Having the right skill set may seem essential, skills can be acquired, but personalities cannot. Social intelligence, communication skills, thought processes and emotional intelligence are of utmost importance.
- Ask the right kinds of questions. Add non-traditional interview questions into the mix. Behavioral based questions like, “Describe how you had to convince leadership to go along with your plan when they had something different in mind?” or “Describe how you have had to work cross-functionally to resolve a problem with a customer?” Based on the existing managerial style of your organization, the response may signal an ideal fit or a potential problem aligning with your leadership.
- Provide personal insight about the company culture. At Boaz Partners our team learns our client’s culture and current and future needs of the business. Going beyond a “resume to fill a role” process to help both the organization and prospective candidates determine if they are right for the company. Replacing canned company responses with insight about your individual experience with the company allows you to determine if the candidate’s heart and soul will be a fit for your organization.
- Cover all the bases. The most important step in deciding to extend an offer to a candidate who has a different type of experience or education from the set criteria, is defining the overall business rationale behind the hire, what skills and qualifications the candidate has to offer the company, and if the candidate will ultimately add value to the future of the organization for the long haul.
No organization can risk the cost and productivity drain that a bad hire brings, we have seen our client organizations make this mistake before ultimately turning to Boaz Partners as an External Recruiter and yet bad hires are surprisingly common. Be open-minded to look outside of your defined criteria or industry. It will yield more diverse but equally qualified candidates and result in a better fit between the successful candidate and your organization. Let Boaz Partners show you the ropes!
Written by Michele Baxley, Director Of Executive Search, Boaz Partners
