All you hear when you talk to companies is fit, the right fit, fits in with the team, etc. The problem is fit, can and usually does mean ensuring that the people you bring in, are of similar type, thoughts, skills, demeanor, and attitude. The problem with that is it goes totally against what it takes for innovation to happen. Innovation is what happens when people with different backgrounds, views, demeanor, skills, and attitudes come together to solve a problem or improve on something. So you can see how these 2 concepts can go against each other and in fact how it makes “Fit” a deterrent to innovation. Of course that said let me qualify what I mean here, I mean when the term or idea of “Fit” is taken to extreme, when we do not leave open any room for differences to be a good thing. While this may be not happen a lot it does happen sometimes. Sometimes people just get so caught up in the “Fit”, they forget differences can be a good thing too.
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Great Sourcers do not need industry experience!
Over the last few weeks I have noticed an increase in the number of companies looking for sorucers. However they are not just looking for sourcers but sourcers who have industry experience with in their respective industries. They even go so far as to make industry experience a “have to have” in the job description. This got me thinking that while I agree industry experience is a good thing, but it is no were near as important as great sourcing and research skills. I myself have sourced within numerous industries without having prior experience and have never had a big problem learning what I needed to know, and with the advent of social media connecting to people within that industry and finding candidates. I have also been able to help numerous fellow sourcers with regards to their sourcing needs within industries I have had little no know experience with. So the point is while I can understand the desire for industry experience, let’s not forget a good Sr. Sourcer will have skills and knowledge that more than make up for a lack of industry experience. So for me industry experience is a “nice to have” and top notch sourcing skills is the “have to have” for a sourcer. Not looking at Previously Interviewed!!
I know Hiring Managers (HM) have certain predisposition about certain type of candidates, In this case I am talking about people who were previously interviewed. In some cases these stances are so intense that if they or someone else in the company interviewed someone and said no for any reason, they will not interview them again even if 10+ years have gone by. However this practice is not correct. A blanket stance of no to previously interviewed candidates is only hurting the company. The reality is if a candidate was interviewed say 2+ years ago and was not hired due to lack of experience it is highly probable that 2+ years later they might have the needed experience, or a candidate who 2+ years ago was not hired due to cultural fit, may now 2+ years later be a fit. In other words find out the who, what, when, how and why of the reason for not hiring and then see if those reasons are still valid. In a lot of cases you will find they are not. Add to that, the fact that sometimes people say no to hiring someone for reason that are personnel, or even to protect their own jobs. It is ugly but it happens, a lot more than you would think. So just because someone was interviewed and not hired does not mean you should never look at them again. It just means you need to find out the reasoning and then take the 5-30 minutes on the phone to see if those reason still exist, and find out for yourself, not just take what the notes form 2+ years ago say. The same can be said of previous employees as well, find out for yourself. Sometimes it can lead to a great hire. The Tiger Team!!!
Within every company you have groups that are hard to source for, or groups were the demand is higher than the staffing team that is assigned is capable of handling or groups were the demand just jumps. In addition every company has those constant need profiles. These are profiles of candidates you almost always are looking for. The question is how do we deal with these difficult groups or positions. How do we deal with these quick ramps and how do we deal with these constant need positions. Some companies use contractors, the only problem is contractors come and go and with them goes the knowledge they have learned, and also comes the difficulty of finding similar or better talent to replace them when you need them again. Some do nothing and just try to gut it out, and some use agencies. All of these choices cost you, in time, money, resources, and morale. The answer is the “Tiger Team”. An elite group of sourcers who can quickly move from group to group, position to position and quickly fill a pipe with potential resumes and profiles. When not doing this they are filling the pipe of the constant need profiles that every company has. Think of them as a quick strike, problem solving group that fill the pipe with potential resumes and profiles and move on. When there is no need for this quick strike ability they are filling the pipe with candidates for your constant need profiles. They can even be providing training, process improvement and staffing PM abilities. The “Tiger Team” every company needs one! |
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