The COW framework for hiring
Learning how to hire people for any role doesn’t have to be a shot in the dark. In the course of my corporate journey, I have been part of the hiring process for a set of employees.
Whilst I did that, I have developed a sort of a framework on how to go about hiring people, which could help anyone looking to hire or interview any candidate for any role.
I haven’t written much about?corporate happiness? my blog besides a few posts, but I will be working on it, since employees are people, and subjects like hiring or leadership, directly impact happiness at work and in life.
Workplaces don’t have to be dry and cold filled with people who don’t like their jobs, don’t smile or laugh, and feel disconnected with other around them. Workplaces have to be the opposite of that- full of people who enjoy their jobs, replete with happy people who take care of each other.
I hope the COW framework would help induce that thinking on how to hire people not just for competence, for also for a positive culture, to some extent. We will get to the framework in a bit.
We will start by understanding the whole process of hiring and some context about why hiring is needed in the first place.
There could be several reasons why you need to hire a new employee, or a set of employees:
1. A replacement role?has been created
You have an employee who is already involved or engaged in the role, but has to leave for one of the several reasons:
The fact of the matter is, that they are leaving unfortunately, and you will have to find someone to replace their role.
2. A new role has emerged
The company is changing and moving into new business areas. When new areas of business emerge, so does the need for diverse skillsets. For example, ESG has emerged a strong area of focus for most businesses globally in the last few years. Businesses are investing in people who have deep knowledge in how ESG has be a strategic competitive advantage and so, there are roles at several organizations for ESG specialists.
Similarly, data scientists and software engineers who have a deep knowledge of artificial intelligence have become a hot target for recruiters in technology companies. New roles call for hiring decisions.
New roles may emerge for several other reasons like new business areas of growth, expansion into new geographies or new domains where the business has no experience. Wherever a new role appears, the need for fresh recruitment emerges.
3. Restructuring of the business could necessitate hiring decisions
Your company may be going through a process of organizational restructuring which could necessitate making a few departments obsolete and hiring a new set of employees with specific skill-sets.
This would mean laying off or closing contracts with some existing employees, which is a painful decision, especially for those losing those jobs. However, businesses evolve, and leaders are forced to make painful decisions. Companies should do everything they can to make the process of restructuring compassionate for those who are leaving.
Once the new structure has emerged, there would be a new to hire some new employees, who fit the vision of the future.
4. Hiring people for leadership roles
Hiring for leadership roles is more complex that hiring for execution roles. Leaders set the agenda for important teams and departments, and so they should be independent thinkers who have the ability to take initiative and set the company in the right direction for success.
Leadership is the human pillar on which an organization stands. The quality of leadership determines the success or failure of an organization.
The above are only a few reasons why there could be a reason to hire a new employee or a set of employees. Now, we will get to the crux of the article- how should one go about hiring the right people.
Where to look for candidates to hire?
There are several ways to source potential candidates:
I have centered this?blog on the idea of happiness. The reason companies need to hire right is to create a happy workplace atmosphere for both the employee and the employer.
There has to be a structure to the process of taking interviews. Most interviews do not have a structure and hence they go all over the place making the process unpalatable for both the parties involved- the candidate and the interviewer.
How to hire people- The COW framework for hiring
The COW framework states that everyone you may want to consider for a job role could be evaluated basis 3 parameters:
Let us look at each measure of the COW framework in detail, and how to use it during the hiring process.
Competence- the C of the COW framework- how to hire people
You are hiring a person for a role. You will need to create a job description, which would define the competence requirements you have for the role. This would ideally specify what the candidate would do for the majority of the time at the job.
How to look for competence in a resume?
You will look at a lot of resumes, if you are looking to shortlist candidates for a job. Look for projects where they have done work that would be required at the job.
领英推荐
Hiring people-how to interview shortlisted candidates for competence?
To hire the right candidate, you would need to evaluate them during the interview process for competence in detail. Competence is not only about doing the work, but also about being able to communicate it.
No matter what the job, communication skills form an important part of the competence equation. You need people who are not only able to do the job, but also able to communicate to everyone in the company, about what they have done.
Therefore, competence is technical skills + communication skills.
Ask questions which help the candidate think about how they solved certain problems in the past, which would be needed on the job:
Evaluating competence is easier than evaluating other parts of the COW puzzle that we will get to.
Optimism- the O of the COW framework- how to hire people
Now, people aren’t only their competence or technical skills.
There are a lot of people in the corporate world who have the right set of technical skills, but they aren’t a great addition to your team, because they don’t make the workplace a better place.
They are negative; or worse they are toxic and they make everyone’s life around them miserable.
Therefore, you need to evaluate for optimism as well during the interview process. You may not be able to do it, during the shortlisting stage, unless the candidate has specifically mentioned something in their resume that piques your curiosity.
How to evaluate for optimism during the interview process-?how to hire people
Tell me about your journey from your school till now in terms of milestones and how you created those milestone- this question would help you understand the candidates’ thought process
How do your friends feel about you?
Tell me about your journey from your school till now in terms of milestones and how you created those milestone- this question would help you understand the candidates’ thought process
How do your friends feel about you?
If I were to go and ask your friends about, what do they like about you, what would they say- this will reveal their personality
Beyond the technical aspects of this role, what excites you about this job- this should get answers on culture and the opportunity to work with amazing people from a candidate with a great mindset
If I were to go and ask your friends about, what do they like about you, what would they say- this will reveal their personality
Beyond the technical aspects of this role, what excites you about this job- this should get answers on culture and the opportunity to work with amazing people from a candidate with a great mindset
I am sure you could think and add some more questions which would help reveal the candidates’ attitude- whether it is positive or negative.
A candidate with a negative mindset would struggle to answer questions on culture or be indifferent to them, would be laid back. They would likely not experiment with new areas of work, because of the fear of failure or a negative outlook.
You need happy, positive people around who can do a job, not just people who can do a job.
That brings us to the W of the COW framework.
Warmth?– the W of the COW framework- how to hire people
You need warm people around- humans, not robots.
Warmth is extremely hard to decode, even by extremely discerning people. What you are trying to understand here is do they only think for themselves, or do they care about others as well.
You could ask questions like the below (especially if they have made any references in their CV/resume:
Warm people are thinkers because they care about others; and are thoughtful about their surroundings. When you hire a warm person, you do a favor to your team and the organization.
The corporate world is cold and dry, many a time. It needs people with warmth so that meetings have human connection, and not just dry numbers. We are trying to not just solve for hiring here, we are trying to solve for happiness.
Warm people are hard to find, because warmth is a rare quality. But I suggest you keep looking. Workplace loneliness is an issue being talked about around the world, as I write this. People who have warmth can help solve the problem.
Thanks for reading.