What You Want, Do Not Want and Need to Be

When I was younger and less experienced in the ways of business, I made some huge mistakes.

One of the most memorable mistakes I ever made was hiring someone to work for me for a healthy six-figure salary in a job I did not even understand. The person interviewed well but some strange things happened during the interview. For example, about 45 minutes into the interview, the person mentioned he had a dog in the car that needed a walk. There was also the faint aroma of alcohol that clung to the air. The person also had several gaps in his resume that he did not explain very well. Nevertheless, I ignored these warning signs and ended up hiring the person.

I will tell you what happened with this person in a moment; however, at the onset I want to make you completely aware of the mistake I made in hiring this person: I did not know what I wanted. Anytime an employer does not know precisely what they want when they are hiring someone there are likely to be several problems. Why? Because the employer will be forced to make up expectations as they trudge along. This is an incredibly dangerous prospect.

The type of position was something I had no experience in hiring and because it was such a new position, I had little idea about the sorts of questions I should be asking, how the person should behave, whether or not the person had the skill set for what I needed, etc. The person was skilled in a certain type of work, but it was still unclear to me why I needed him. All I knew was that several people had told me I needed to fill this position, so I ended up hiring the person that day.

When the person arrived in the office, I started noticing when I went by his office that it smelled faintly like a distillery. Because the fumes affected my eyes, I started requesting meetings in my office. After a few weeks on the job, the person started creating incredible excuses for missing work. For example, there were countless home repairs, a massive numbers of car breakdowns, multiple jury duties and one excuse after another, leaving me astonished.

Moreover, because the person was doing a job I did not understand, he began dictating how he should be doing the job –and not the other way around. Each time I received instruction how this person should be doing the job, I would always be left thinking that the person was doing his best to do as little work as possible. Nevertheless, I was not sure of this, mainly because I still had no idea what the person actually did.

In the United States, the Lexus division of Toyota has been extremely successful. One of the keys to the success of Lexus is that it is extremely clear about what it wants when it hires people. It can often take months for Lexus to hire because their job descriptions are well defined. The fact that Lexus goes to such great lengths to insure an accurate hire is a competitive advantage and a sign of strength. The more an organization knows what it wants, the more likely it is to have a successful hire.

Many of the most successful organizations use personality testing when hiring people. While this certainly does not work for everyone, personality testing is a sign that the organization knows what it wants. The more an organization knows what it wants, the more careful it is being with the prospective hire’s career and the decision to hire him/her. It is obviously more beneficial to be part of an organization that knows what it wants than one that has no clear direction.

Consider relationships. Many people become involved in relationships and are not sure what they are looking for. Due to this, many people begin dating – and end up marrying- the first person that comes along. Other people have very clear ideas about the sort of person they want to be with long-term. These people define their wants and needs. Often times they may narrow down their choice by using the following categories: religion, race, age, interests, hair color, weight, number of previous partners, income, profession and the question of children.

Many ethnic groups, religions and so forth have a strong preference for marrying people of the same religious or racial backgrounds. Jewish-Americans in the United States are a perfect example. Virtually every Jewish parent aspires – and in many cases expects – that his/her children will marry into the Jewish heritage. This is an example of someone being clear about what he/she wants.

Employers, like people, also develop various criteria and standards in terms of what they want in employees. The more defined this is, the more likely they are to choose someone who fits their needs. There is nothing wrong with an employer knowing what they want, as employers should know when hiring people to help prevent future problems.

Keep in mind that the more rigorous an employer’s screening process, the more likely someone is to be precisely what the employer wants if they hire the person.

Just as an employer should know what they want, so should you when you are seeking a job. If you do not know precisely the sort of job you are seeking, then you are likely to accept whatever comes along. You need to be clear about exactly what it is you are seeking. The clearer you are, the more you are likely you are to achieve your goal.

Just like a relationship, if you do not know exactly what sort of job you want then you are going to be likely to fall into the first thing that comes along. When you are clear about what you are seeking, you will behave differently in interviews when you come across the ideal employer with a job that matches your interests. You are going to appear more enthusiastic in the interview; you will say the right things.

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