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Have you ever thought of hiring from a dating perspective?
Think about it. Let’s imagine your job post as your online dating profile.
You proceed to list out all the things your ideal candidate should possess...
- 10 years of exemplary experience in your field.
- A couple of graduate-level degrees.
- Amazing skills with proven leadership abilities.
- A never-ending inventory of proficiencies, networks and resources.
- A natural aptitude for presenting, relationship-building and delegation.
- Impeccable attention to detail and a knack for breaking things down in the simplest of ways.
- The most charismatic and engaging personality ever known to man.
Annnnnnnnnnnd last but not least, long walks on the beach...
Well, maybe not that last part, but everything else might ring a bell.
During your job search, if you ever ran across a post like this, you probably thought - "Okkkkay?! Where in the world are they going to find this person?" The answer is - nowhere. The person does not exist, and if they do, they cost a fortune!
No one would ever date if they were as restrictive in dating as most are with job descriptions, especially since my wife’s already taken. :) By writing our job descriptions in such a manner that only a non-existent unicorn could meet the expectations, we’re deterring real potential hires from applying. In our blog “How to Catch a Unicorn: 3 Benefits of Hiring for Potential”, we explore the pitfalls of this hiring strategy and what you can do to prevent them. If you want to see how to broaden your talent pool and have more luck finding people that connect with your mission and will excel in the work in unique, profound ways, you’ll like this read.
You might also appreciate this amazing TED Talk from Regina Hartley, who tells a compelling story of how she believes “Scrappers”, people who have had to leverage grit and resilience to fight their way through challenging situations in life, are more likely to persist in an ever-changing workplace than those who have had numerous opportunities handed to them. In addition, if you'd like to delve deeper into our focus this month on hiring for potential, check out this Harvard Business Review chat about hiring for potential, not just experience.
Lastly, as you know, the spring hiring season is well past the halfway mark. How is your spring hiring going for your non-classroom-based positions?
If any of your roles are proving difficult to fill, we'd love to help! WorkMonger can customize a talent solution for your particular role, budget, and needs. Simply request more info via this 30-second form and I’ll be in touch.
Thanks for your time, and I wish you all the best this spring!
Together,
John Troy
WorkMonger & TrulyHired CEO
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How to Catch a Unicorn
3 Benefits of Hiring for Potential
If you’ve ever hired someone, you know how the process starts. With your dream candidate in mind, you eagerly write out the job description. Master’s Degree. Ten years of total work experience and five years in a similar field. Management experience. Strong track record of success in a similar role. The list goes on. When you’re finally done, you step back, read the description, and smile. This person would be awesome!
Of course they would. When has someone dreamed up a candidate that would be terrible in a role? So, what’s the problem with setting the bar so high? Simple. This candidate doesn’t exist. Or, if they do, you’re likely to have a very hard time finding them or not be able to afford them.
A manager’s most important role is hiring the right people for their team and placing them in the right roles. As a result, it’s tempting to be picky about everything. But, resist the temptation. You need to know what to be picky about, and what could be picked up in training. Many employers make one very huge mistake: they overvalue experience and undervalue training.
Know the Difference between a “Must-Have” and a “Nice-to-Have”
As I shared above, job descriptions are often written with the ideal candidate in mind. When this happens, it is an early indication of a lack of sufficient reflection or rigorous thought going into the hiring process. As a result, instead of clearly delineating the minimum requirements and listing the ideal requirements as preferred, the line between “must-have” and “nice-to-have” candidate qualities becomes blurred. This has significant consequences.
Creating unattainable “must-haves” often discourages great candidates from applying whom would have met the true requirements of the job role but now believe that they’re unqualified, thereby reducing the talent pool and causing a search to remain open longer than necessary. In addition, without rigorous thought and a clear vision of exactly what you should be looking for, it can be hard for a recruiter or a hiring manager to discern when a strong candidate is sitting right in front of them. Is the fact that they only have three years of experience truly a deal breaker? What if they have a track record of high performance and have demonstrated an ability to pick up new skills quickly?
The reality is that there are certain non-negotiable attributes that a candidate must have regardless of the specific job role, including both organizational fit (aligned values, belief in the mission, alignment with work environment/structure, mindset, etc.) and core skills necessary for the job (i.e., an accounting role must be filled by someone with the right accounting training). To find or narrow down your must-have experience, search your position on O*NET. This resource will not only help you identify the key competencies required for your role in your industry, but it will also provide an intricate breakdown of what preferred skills are on the rise, which work styles fit best for the position, and much more. I would suggest reviewing the knowledge and skills section of O*NET for specific inspiration of required items. Beyond that, keep an open mind – great talent comes in unique packages.
What Must They Possess, and What Can They Learn?
Once an organization stops overvaluing past experience and begins to prioritize the outcome of training, mentoring, and on-the-job experience, candidates who were once dismissed become competitive options. Here’s a great example. I once worked with an educational organization that was hiring a Director of Development. I found a great candidate for them with a track record of millions of dollars in sales in the private sector and a true passion for my client’s work. However, my client chose to not even interview the candidate because the candidate lacked fundraising experience. What my client missed, despite my repeated urging, was that the candidate had the transferable experience, proven drive, and intellectual curiosity, all of which translated to a strong likelihood of developing the skills and organizational context necessary to be successful in the role. The candidate knew relationship-building and understood the importance of customer service; the rest were skills that could have been learned with time and experience on the job.
Employers must become experts in seeing potential in people, as it will allow them to access talent pools that others have passed over, hire candidates faster, and achieve better results. Plus, when organizations invest in their staff and provide them opportunities for growth, the staff are more likely to reward them with greater loyalty, stronger effort, and a better attitude. It’s essential for employers to begin asking questions such as, “Is this truly a must-have for day one?” or “Could I hire a more junior person for $10,000 less in salary and put those $10,000 savings towards top-notch training?”.
Consequences of Deciding Not to Train Strong Candidates
One of the greatest consequences I see when employers overvalue experience and undervalue training is that the hiring process takes forever; there aren’t enough applicants and the role stays open for far too long. For example, in my earlier story, instead of a great hire starting quickly and honing their skills through training and on-the-job support, the role sat vacant as the search went on for months. In my years in the education sector, I’ve seen this happen on numerous occasions. The ironic thing is that we work in the education sector and we’re committed to the development of individuals in communities of great need, and yet it appears that we think that this development stops when a child finishes high school, and eventually college.
We should take chances on individuals who are a great fit for our education organizations but who are what many hiring managers might consider “rough around the edges.” We need to help them develop, grow, and build the skills they need to be successful. We need to invest in future employees. It makes business sense. It makes mission sense. And it’s the right thing to do.
Speaking of development, growth and building skill sets, here are a few resources that can help aid you in your training efforts:
- Train your employees by creating training sessions using a free Learning Management System (LMS). Here is a great list of the top Free LMSs of 2019.
- Consider paid training memberships on Study.com.
- Encourage your employees to take courses for free or low cost on MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) like MOOC or ClassCentral. Open Culture has a great list of MOOC certifications as well.
- For people who want to grow in their field, you can refer them to tuition-free online universities and certificate programs like University of the People's accredited programs or Saylor Academy.
We hope this blog provided a fresh perspective on how to grow your talent pool and develop passionate leaders within your organization. Remember, unicorn employees are rarely found; they are far more often made.
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Until next time: Stand out. Do good!
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