Share this
Reactionary Hiring vs. Opportunistic Hiring
by SelectOne on Fri, Nov 13, 2015
Companies are constrained by cash flow, internal pay equity, headcount restrictions, rigid org charts, politics, and a myriad of other impediments. All of these things make it impractical to hire unless there is a specific need, and even then, the focus must remain on finding the exact skill set and experience level, right? Though these are very valid restraints that every company deals with, in our company we’ve found hiring to be much more successful when we focus on doing so opportunistically.
So what does this mean?
Hire for where you’re headed, not where you’ve been.
We turned over a key non-production role earlier in 2015, and at the time, scoping the role and identifying the right profile became a challenge. Before we decided simply to replace the individual with a similar person and skill-set, we took a little time to gain an understanding of the true functions this role had covered and what additional responsibilities and knowledge we would want the future person in this role to possess. Understanding the direction we were headed, as a company was important as well. Ultimately, we were able to add a person who was able to grow with our company and develop the role far beyond what it was.
Hire for cultural fit and potential, not just experience and level
Many clients we’ve spoken with emphasize hiring for cultural fit, as do we. But at the same time, many roles require a specific technical aptitude and level of experience. Far too often, it’s improbable to find the best cultural fit coupled with a resume aligning bullet by bullet with the job description. Keep in mind, people are dynamic and we all learn and develop skills over time. I’d rather hire a sharp, driven, highly motivated person with long term potential who fits our culture, but perhaps lacks the exact prior experience we were looking for.
Build your virtual bench
Every time one of our team members meets an outstanding person who appears to be culturally aligned with our company, they bring it to the group. Even if we don’t have an immediate or obvious role for the person, typically someone from our management team will take the time to meet with the person. We do this to build a pipeline of the very best people in our market with exceptional communication skills and shared values. This has led to some of our very best hires who’ve impacted the growth of our company more than we could’ve ever anticipated.
All companies are dynamic, to varying degrees. High-growth startups are forced to hire for the future. Companies growing through acquisition experience substantial change in short periods of time. Even more mature companies with steady operations and workforces are competing in a volatile and rapidly changing, globalizing macroeconomy. Waiting until there is an acute hiring need can lead to forced decisions. Hiring for the future, based off cultural fit and potential, will help drive your ability to assemble a world-class team.
Share this
- October 2022 (2)
- September 2022 (1)
- August 2022 (1)
- July 2022 (4)
- June 2022 (3)
- May 2022 (2)
- February 2022 (2)
- May 2020 (2)
- April 2020 (8)
- March 2020 (6)
- February 2020 (4)
- January 2020 (2)
- December 2019 (3)
- November 2019 (2)
- October 2019 (9)
- September 2019 (6)
- May 2019 (4)
- April 2019 (9)
- March 2019 (7)
- February 2019 (10)
- January 2019 (4)
- December 2018 (12)
- November 2018 (6)
- October 2018 (4)
- September 2018 (6)
- August 2018 (14)
- July 2018 (8)
- June 2018 (7)
- April 2017 (1)
- February 2017 (5)
- January 2017 (8)
- December 2016 (8)
- November 2016 (3)
- October 2016 (7)
- September 2016 (8)
- August 2016 (7)
- July 2016 (6)
- June 2016 (9)
- May 2016 (7)
- April 2016 (9)
- March 2016 (8)
- February 2016 (6)
- January 2016 (8)
- December 2015 (7)
- November 2015 (7)
- October 2015 (7)
- September 2015 (8)
- August 2015 (11)
- July 2015 (8)
- June 2015 (4)
- May 2015 (5)
- April 2015 (4)
- March 2015 (4)
- February 2015 (7)
- January 2015 (8)
- December 2014 (5)
- November 2014 (2)
No Comments Yet
Let us know what you think