Is hiring buying?
What do buying a car and buying labor have in common??Not much it seems.?Which is a shame because hiring is buying, and you’re buying labor.
Think about going to buy a car…you say to the salesman, or better yet, input the features you’re seeking online, and out pops the inventory.?I want a 2020 blue Honda EX with less than 40k miles with leather seats, sunroof, premium sound, and alloy wheels, and bam, there you have it.?Or you don’t.?What if you don’t??What’s the next logical step??What was the least important feature you selected??We all do this, I think anyway, if it’s just me let me know.?But I remove the least important feature.?You know what, I also like white cars, let’s try that.?Ok there’s one, that one will do.
And now I’m not walking 2 miles each way through snow barefoot on a dirt road uphill both ways or something like that.?I’m driving, and I’m warm, and I get there faster, have more energy, I mean the benefits of a car are pretty clear.
But this doesn’t happen in talent acquisition, or doesn’t usually happen, at least not right away.?We do the theoretical search above for that car/person, and we get back to our client (who says they will not relo a candidate) and we tell them, there are no blue Honda’s within 50 miles of you so what do you want to do?
Midtown: Would you consider removing on the features?
Client answer: No, we’ll wait.
Midtown: Until a blue Honda moves into this community of 13,000?
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Client: Yes.
Result: The person on your team who really needs that car to perform their job effectively decides you know what, I’m out of here.
Second result:
I can tell you I pitch that exact experience to clients all the time.?Client is hiring for a Controller, “Person has been the Accounting Manager at ABC for 4 years, prior to that spent 6 years in Big 4, is a CPA, and has been the Interim Controller with their current employer for the last 6 months” …and they get the interview, and probably the job.
Buying labor is just like buying anything else, consider the risk you’re creating by not being flexible with the options you’re seeking.
EPC Project Management
1 年If your buying the labor, you look for the cheapest most qualified so you can mark that hourly rate up and pass onto the most gullible client. No rocket science there. In reference to selling a car there is old saying that still holds true…….. The color and chrome won’t get you home” Women want just the right color and men focus on performance
Helping people and organizations reach their goals and implement sustainable solutions
1 年I agree with the analogy. Recruiters need to tell potential employees why they need to select their company. What difference is the company seeking to make in the world? Why are current employees excited to come to work every day? What does professional development look like? And how will they have support in their career growth that ensures contribution? Of course, this needs to be defined and implemented ahead of telling the world all of the great things about your company. Great article!
Project Management Executive
1 年This is a better way of looking at this. It reminds me of looking at defects from a "Cost of Quality" Point of view. Thank you for sharing!
Product Manager | Six Sigma Black Belt | SIOP | SWOT | S.A.S | AI
1 年Like Honda EX, you either have it or you do not. When I was doing the interviewing, I was asking the qualifying and behavior questions to cadets. In the initial calls (Reciter and or HR), they are seem to ask questions to see if the boxes are checked. When you get to the team lead, they tend to always through a curve ball, like a question (s) you do not know the answer. Not sure if this is because they do not understand the job scope or they really have a need for this type of associate.
I help companies strategically & tactically align IT and business operations by re-imagining operational excellence | PMP | Digital Transformation | Enterprise Architecture | Program Management | M&A Integration
1 年John Schmidt, I believe you are spot on with your buying analogy. From my own perspective, I have been out of work for going on 3 months. I have applied to 50 targeted roles with 6 first round and 3 second round interviews. In each conversation, I ask the person what are the top 3 qualifications/skills they need for the person to be successful in the role (and conversely, the bottom 3 that they are not too concerned about). I then asked probing questions to determine how the qualifications/skills advance the mission of the organization. Normal answer: crickets (or some mumbled words). Not to be discouraged, I keep asking questions (understanding now that the person I am speaking to has no clue how the qualifications meet the actual job requirements). The next question that comes is "OK, so every qualification is deemed critical, so which ones are used more often than others in this role?" (Again, customary crickets). My last question, "If every qualification/skill is critical, and my resume only matched 75%, then what specific experience in my resume prompted you to contact me?" Each answer: Mumbled words At this point, the conversation typically ends (since it takes me 30 minutes just to get this much out of anyone).