A Defining Moment for Hiring

At Alliance Resource Solutions we’re committed to helping hiring managers ease the challenges of finding, qualifying, and hiring the talent they need. To discover top concerns, we asked multiple hiring managers for their thoughts. Three recurring themes we heard were (1) often the candidates presented don’t fit what we’re looking for, (2) multiple interviewers ask inconsistent questions, don’t always know the right questions to ask, and assess candidates differently, and (3) we’re not sure how much office chemistry and culture should weigh in the final hiring decision.

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The first theme about candidate fit was the most popular response, and is therefore the topic of this article, which covers thoroughly identifying and defining needs upfront. The other themes will be topics in subsequent articles.

Identifying Needs

Identifying needs is an obvious, basic first step. However a critical piece of this process often is left out. That is, the hiring manager must directly answer the question, What are the most important things a candidate must perform or possess to be successful in this role? Wait…we’re talking about a job description, right? Not entirely. Too often, generic or outdated job descriptions don’t adequately reflect the hiring manager’s specific requirements, resulting in a disconnect between the candidate you’re actively taking the time to look for and the candidate you really need. Result: wasted time. I’ve worked with many hiring managers who will take the time to provide significant candidate criteria when asked, and very often those criteria are not included anywhere in the provided job description. Had the conversation with the manager not happened, much time would have been spent presenting the wrong candidates.

These criteria are the Critical Success Factors (CSF), or the knowledge, skills, abilities, and traits that can reach beyond documented Responsibilities and Qualifications. It’s true. Whether you are a recruiter in an outside agency or in an internal HR department, it’s critical to hear directly from the manager. And managers, taking the time upfront to speak to the recruiter and interviewing team will save a lot of time in the long term.

Defining What They Mean

Now that they have been identified, defining the needs (or Critical Success Factors) is the next step to ensure everyone in the recruiting and interviewing process has an understanding of the manager’s intended meaning. Simply stated, the same word to one person can mean something entirely different to another. For example, the hiring manager has identified that the candidate must be a strong Leader. Being a Leader for the HR recruiter means great trainer, mentor, and role model, grooming the team for advancement. Another team member sees a Leader as someone who motivates and incentivizes everyone to be their best, and has pizza lunch-n-learns every other Friday. These are all good things. However, the hiring manager is actually looking for someone who can assertively and professionally represent the group in inter-department meetings and lead discussions around stated department objectives, while tactfully overcoming differences of opinion; someone who effects positive change through open communication and negotiation on behalf of the department. All involved in the interviewing and assessment process need to understand the manager’s meaning of the words, or all could be potentially looking for very different candidates with very different skill sets.

Defining the Intangible

Defining needs seems simple enough, but many of a manager’s must haves tend to be abilities and behavioral traits that can be difficult to define, much less assess whether a candidate possesses them or not. Unlike a skill, that is, learned behaviors acquired through experience and training, an ability refers more to a person’s natural possession of the means to do something, such as the potential, capacity, or aptness. And a trait is a particular characteristic, quality, or tendency of someone, such as personality. How are we going to assess whether someone is Honest?, or Assertive? How do we assess something if we can’t measure it? The answer again, is to define it.

Defining an ability or trait can be difficult, but not impossible. Define What are the behaviors we can see and assess that exemplify the trait we’re looking for? For example, a defined CSF is that the individual be a Visionary. What does the manager mean to be visionary? What does a visionary person do that we actually can see? Perhaps the manager defines it as keeping abreast of the latest industry regulations, technologies, ideas and applying them to the way we conduct business; or.someone who actively brings ideas to the table for discussion and follows through with recommendations for positive change moving forward. Understanding this definition of visionary, the team now can ask specific interview questions pertinent to these types of actions and experiences to better assess whether the candidate is a Visionary.

In summary, job descriptions are essential, but so is direct communication from the hiring manager about specifically those skills, abilities, and traits that are the manager’s priorities. Taking the time upfront to define these Critical Success Factors and then communicating their meaning to all involved will save a lot of time in the hiring process and help assure the hiring manager a successful hire.

Click here for a sample worksheet to help you implement what you read above.