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Make Great Hires: What a Concept?by Bob Gershberg, CEO/Managing Partner, Wray Executive Search In the Executive Search world, we often say there is an art and a science to executive recruitment. Matching skill sets and competencies is the science side and clearly the easier task. Finding the right cultural fit and matching chemistry is the art side and substantively more complex. Great hires can be game changers and are vital to the ultimate success of any organization. Conversely, bad hires can be costly and disastrous to any team. A culture lens is essential in effective hiring and needs to be front and center during the interview process. Focus on what motivates the candidate and determine how well that aligns with the success factors current superstars possess. Good chemistry elevates everybody’s game. Poor chemistry diminishes unity and creates the dreaded toxic work environment. Hiring for talent continues to be a worthy endeavor but hiring the right attitude, personality and work habit tendencies are not to be underrated. Great hires often have a solid dose of intellectual curiosity. They ask good questions during the process. The drive to succeed and passion for the industry, segment or brand are supremely important. Folks who are driven to work harder, smarter, or both, love what they do, and are determined to help an organization succeed are likely to bring great value. Positive energy is contagious. Hire it. Look for enthusiasm in both verbal and non-verbal communication during the interview process. Seek talent that dreams big. Look for authenticity. Make certain people are who they say they are and are comfortable and confident, but not cocky. Take the integrity piece a bit further. Can the candidate take responsibility? Are they transparent? Trustworthy? Will they always do “the right thing”? The talent pool is tight. Recruiting is as tough as ever. You can enhance the process. Focus on building a strong employer brand and become a highly desired organization. Move quickly and efficiently as the candidate you are interested in will likely have other suiters. Hire for attitude and personality, neither can be taught. Many companies have nice sounding value statements displayed in the lobby, such as:
Integrity
Communication
Respect
Excellence Enron, whose leaders went to jail, and went bankrupt due to fraud, had these exact values displayed in their lobby. Just sayin’ Hire well! All the best,
Bob Gershberg |CEO|Managing Partner|
bob@wraysearch.com
(888) 875-9993 ext 102
Finding tomorrow’s leaders today!
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