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How Jordan Spieth Can Help You Hire Sharp Candidates

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When Bubba Watson slipped the fabled green jacket on Jordan Spieth to formally crown him Masters Champion, the golf community was stunned that such a young man (21 years old) could outlast so many strong players with significantly more experience. You couldn't help but think:

  • How could he be so composed at such a young age?
  • How was he able to navigate his way around a course that players who were much more experienced still could not figure out?  

After all, this was only Spieth’s second Masters and he was competing against individuals who have played Augusta hundreds of times. 

While Spieth has been on the golfing radar for years, famously playing his first professional tournament as an amateur at the ripe age of 16, he was still almost unknown to the casual golf fan leading up to the Masters. To those fans that have seen recent champions much older than Spieth, the prospect of him winning the prestigious Masters tournament was unimaginable. Spieth however didn't share that attitude, and was able to win in spite of his limited playing experience at Augusta. He won because he is an exceptionally gifted and skilled golfer and he has the mental makeup of a player well beyond his years. His talent, drive, and determination trumped his (lack of) experience.

How does this relate to hiring?

When we are engaged to find great people for our clients, we often hear something like this:

“I would really like someone with 5 years process manufacturing experience” or “healthcare experience is important for the right candidate since our business is very complex and an understanding of healthcare is a must”.

In some situations experience is important. But if Jordan Spieth believed as many companies do, that experience in a specific industry is the most important criteria in identifying the best candidate, he wouldn't have a green jacket in his closet today.

One of our biggest struggles as advisors to our clients is to get them to think outside the box when it comes to their perception of the ideal candidate for their job. Just as Jordan Spieth had limited experience playing Augusta National, the right candidate for your manufacturing Controller position just may be someone with no or limited experience working in a manufacturing environment.

Spieth won the tournament because his drive and determination,  among other transferable skills. A skilled accountant, engineer, or software developer has transferable skills as well. For a sharp person the learning curve is fast and steep. Sometimes it’s best to hire the sharpest person and not worry about industry experience. Sharp people will deliver the best results, and often times that person isn’t necessarily the person with a long background in your industry. 

To help you make those critical hiring decisions look for indicators of future success – not simply for years of industry experience. Leading a successful software implementation, managing and delivering on a mission critical project and a track record of promotions are all examples of these indicators. In Spieth’s case, finishing in the top 20 of his first pro tournament as an amateur, and winning 2 tournaments in his first 2 years on tour foreshadowed his Masters success. 

So, the next time you are reviewing resumes for a critical role within your company take a deeper dive into the candidates you may initially want to pass over, and look again for sharp candidates with a history of accomplishment in their past roles. If you take a risk and hire the sharpest candidate without focusing solely on industry experience, you just might find your next great employee.

  accounting-finance-guide

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