Find reasons to hire; not reject!

Recruitment is an integral, ever-present process in our lives, unfolding from our earliest moments to our final days. This continuous cycle of recruitment is not always overtly recognized, but it's there, influencing every interaction and decision we make. Even in casual debates with friends and peers about my theories on recruitment, they are unwittingly participating in this process. It's present in daily scenarios, like rushing to catch a flight and negotiating with a cab driver for a quicker route, or in more prolonged engagements like hiring someone for home repairs or car maintenance. This omnipresent act of recruitment shapes our lives, our careers, and our personal journeys.

The central philosophy in recruitment should pivot around searching for reasons to recruit someone, as opposed to looking for excuses to reject them. The latter, often termed as "hiring from a position of authority", is unfortunately commonplace and is riddled with the risks of poor decision-making. Let's delve into a practical example from a few years back, which illustrates this point vividly. Our team was approached by a client in dire need of a finance and taxation expert, as they were losing money due to complex issues in their international operations. They interviewed many candidates but kept rejecting them for superficial reasons like lack of experience or weak communication skills, never really assessing their ability to handle the specific challenges.

I stepped in and recommended a perfect candidate with extensive experience in negotiating complex contracts and managing taxation for a global consulting firm. However my client, who was also the CEO, perhaps too authoritative, Interviewed the candidate and decided to make him an offer which was significantly lower than what the candidate had stated as his expectation at the start of the interview process. The CEO assumed that the candidate’s recent unemployment would make him agree given the economic environment. The candidate, knowing his value, declined. The CEO tried again, emphasizing the benefits of joining the company, but the candidate stood his ground, highlighting that his unemployment didn't mean desperation. He pointed out that the prolonged negotiations had already cost the company more than they were saving on his salary.

The outcome? The client in shear desperation due to the complexity of the challenges, ended up recruiting a much lesser experienced candidate, someone who was ill-prepared to handle the complexities of the issues at hand. This decision led to a prolonged period of financial losses and contract losses – a direct consequence of not just a lack of clear goal-setting in the hiring process, but also a flawed recruitment approach that focused on finding faults rather than capabilities.

?This episode highlights the indispensable value of a well-crafted recruitment strategy. It's akin to charting a course in uncharted waters: first, clearly define your destination – the specific outcomes you expect from the role. Next, gauge the potential benefits – both operational and monetary. Then, embark on the hiring journey with an eye for discovery, seeking signs of a candidate's ability to excel, rather than reasons to turn the ship around. By adopting this proactive 'seek-to-hire' philosophy, organizations greatly enhance their chances of uncovering candidates who are not only skilled navigators but also pivotal in steering the company toward its strategic goals. This approach is less about avoiding rough seas and more about finding the right crew to weather them.