It’s a red flag when candidates are ‘too good’ for rigorous selection processes
Tom Killen
Vice President of Talent Management at TIAA | Founder at Core Leadership | Talent Management Leader | Executive Coach
“You’re going to lose him”, the recruiter complained. She had worked hard to find Jim, whom she believed was a great fit for the EVP of operations role for a mid-sized retailer. The company liked Jim, but asked him to complete a rigorous assessment and interview process to determine if he was the RIGHT candidate for the role.
Jim became frustrated with the process. He felt like his record spoke for itself, and he shouldn’t have to go through “all these time-consuming psycho-analyses”.
The recruiter knew Jim was a hot commodity and would be snapped up by another company without going through this pain.
There seems to be a tendency for recruiters and companies to become enamored with candidates. A candidate may seem to have the right qualities – experience, charisma, maybe even an impressive track record of results.
When this happens, it can be tempting to focus on wooing the candidate and put quality selection processes on the back burner.
In my personal experience, this often results in a failed hiring decision. Leading organizations is difficult, and having a thorough understanding of candidates for critical roles maximizes the chances of a successful hire and reduces the risk of a failed decision.
There are exceptions to every rule, but in an organization that encourages humility and teamwork, it’s a red flag if a candidate is not willing to go through a rigorous selection process. No matter how talented they appear on the surface, this will be a recipe for disaster.
My recommendation to the mid-sized retailer – stick to your guns. If the candidate is the RIGHT candidate, they will gladly go through the assessment process.?
Headhunter - Food/Beverage/Packaging/FDA-regulated Manufacturing
3 年I 100% agree with you Tom Killen. I encounter this at times but not as much as I used to in IT. I generally find candidates like this tend to get irritated too often and once placed this does not stop. I look at these candidates as "hired guns" or "mercenaries" which are great for contract positions; however, for perm positions, it needs to be more about cultural fit. A company MUST NOT compromise when it comes to their culture, no matter how appealing the "great candidate" seems.
Entrepreneur I Investor I Board Member I Consultant I Mentor --working with start-up, early stage and low- to mid-cap privately owned companies
3 年Agree, Tom Killen. I believe a key to hiring the best is to have a consistent process across all candidates. It’s the only real way to assess one candidate versus another and drive for the best decision. You can accelerate the process, if needed, but consistency and cross-functional participation is key.
I help CEOs & CXOs drive rapid change | Executive Coach & Private Equity Advisor
3 年So true Tom Killen. The few times one of my clients have elected to pass on assesing a senior level candidate due to push back, they have regretted it. Every single time.