When I consider acquiring a company, I try to get inside the
heart of the person selling -- and allow him (or her) to get inside my own. I
try to avoid being overly technical. When it comes to hiring people, on the
other hand, there is no magic formula.
Yet it occurs to me that the two tasks are still related. In
fact, “hiring” (acquiring) companies has a lot to teach us about how to hire
employees.
For decades, companies and hiring managers have experimented
with the hiring process, seeking the right sets of questions and qualifications
that will guarantee successful hires. But, these days, companies are bucking
the traditional trend of favoring education and experience.
In this vein, Google has actually tried using riddles to
find top talent; and 60 percent of companies responding to one survey said they
were testing candidates for culture fit. Penguin Random House is the latest
company to join the latter movement toward "culture over
credentials"; in January, the publisher boldly announced that it would no
longer prioritize whether candidates had college degrees.
These aren’t the first companies to look past the résumé,
but their actions hold a valuable lesson: Hiring isn’t just about the questions
being asked by the company or the qualifications listed by the candidate --
it’s about people.
Prioritizing 'the
person'
Experience and skills are important parts of a good
candidate's makeup, but a common mistake is thinking that those factors are the
only important ones to consider. Technical skills can be taught, and experience
can be gained in-house. Those skills can be tested as needed.
At Belfor, our culture is built on a foundation of
integrity, commitment and loyalty, and we believe these innate skills can be
the difference between an average employee and a great one.
At our job interviews, for instance, we believe that
encouraging an applicant to share personal stories that demonstrate character
may be more important than what's on his or her résumé.
Meeting candidates face-to-face and getting a feel for them
as people tells you how they will fit into the company culture. For startups
with a small, intimate workforce, that factor is especially important.
Try these tactics to ensure that the person, not the résumé,
is your priority:
1. Get into your
candidates’ hearts.
Tell candidates your story, then ask about theirs. Science
tells us that people love to talk about themselves; it activates the feel-good
centers of their brains. So, actively listen to your candidates’ stories: Do
they start with their professional life or real life? Do they allow you to know
them or only what they can do?
2. Project humility.
As a startup leader, you know what it’s like to build
something from the ground up, but an interview is not the time to toot your
horn. Humility and the reminder that success can happen to anyone should be a
big part of your hiring process. So often, companies use interviews to be
boastful. But the company that remains grounded, humble and grateful will
attract the best employees.
Research shows that both men and women are likely to favor
those who are humble over those they perceive as conceited. One study even
found that employees in its survey were more committed to and engaged with
their jobs when they perceived their CEO as humble.
3. Ask open-ended
questions.
Google might be infamous for its brainteasers, but it should
be known for its current method of interviewing, which favors more open-ended
questions to keep the focus on the interviewee.
So, have an open dialogue, and abolish any impression of a
superior-inferior relationship. If candidates open up during interviews,
they’ll probably do the same with those around them and spread that mentality
throughout the team.
4. Peer into the
future.
At a startup, you may not know where you’ll be in five
years, so you may feel strange asking recruits where "they see themselves
down the line." However, the answer can mean the difference between a
short-term hire and a long-term investment.
After candidates respond, follow up by asking what happens next.
Look for people who are always looking to the future. Don’t hire people who set
strict boundaries for themselves with a narrow vision of success. You want
people focused on a career -- not just a j-o-b.
By keeping the focus on the person and reviewing your
company’s mission and values more than an applicant's résumé during the
interview process, you will increase your chances of finding the next great
member of your company family
Credit: entrepreneur.com
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