Employment Archives - Motivation Shots From The Doc

The Five Factors of Successful Recruiting

Posted by The Motivation Doctor on April 27th, 2010 No Comments

Are you absolutely sure you know what you’re looking for when you come to recruit a new member for your team?

1. Outcomes

This is the number 1 factor of successful recruiting. It is absolutely vital that anyone you employ can deliver the outcomes you need.

In a previous ‘Motivation Shot’ I wrote – Recruit People Who Can Deliver the Outcomes You Need. If you haven’t read it, go check it out and come back here.

There are four other factors you need to consider

2. Company structure

You need to think about whether the person you interview will be happy in your company and your culture. Some people who move from a large company to a much smaller one often find it hard to adjust.

Some years ago I moved from a large international organisation to a small local company. I went into the job with my eyes open and had three successful years. However I often felt frustrated in the smaller company mainly by their culture and the way they went about their business; I was glad when I moved back to a bigger organisation. I just wasn’t a ‘small company’ person.

I’ve interviewed people in a similar situation. I remember one lady who I interviewed for a sales agent’s job at one of my clients. She was keen to get the job, she had loads of experience, all the skills required and I was confident that she could do it. However, when describing her current job with a large company it became very apparent that she wouldn’t fit into this smaller one.

She kept talking about all the things they did in her present company and how she went about her daily duties. I knew that this job she was applying for was totally different from what she’d been used to. If I had employed her I believe that she wouldn’t be happy, would end up not doing a good job and would probably spend her time trying to find a new position.

3. The team

Will the job applicant fit well with the existing team? Maybe your team are a group of loners who don’t communicate with each other but it’s unlikely. You can’t pick people who are all the same; you don’t want a set of clones in your team. However you need to pick someone who is on the same wave-length as the rest of the team.
Perhaps you could involve a team member at a second interview, they might have a better feel for whether the person would fit or not.

4. Your style of managing

How will the person respond to you, will they be able to work with your style of management.
I’ve had applicants complain about their existing boss – “Do you know that he expects me to do such and such.” And I’ve thought to myself, “That’s exactly what I’d be expecting as well.”

You’ve got to have a good connection with this person that you bring into your team. That doesn’t mean to say that you’re going to be best buddies but you’ll need to be able to work together.
Consider if you’re the kind of manager who likes to work closely with your team and regularly check their progress. If so, you’ll need an individual who wants structure and detail and is comfortable with close monitoring.

If on the other hand, you’re the kind of manager who sets outcomes and leaves the team to get on with it without much help from you. Then you’re going to need someone who’s happy to work with minimum supervision.

I once made a mistake with a guy I appointed into a field sales job. Because he was a college graduate I felt that he would be able to pick up the knowledge and selling skills really fast.

I’m the second type of manager I described above. I tell people what the outcomes are and let them find their way to achieving them. I keep in contact and give feedback when they do well and also when they need to improve things.

However this guy was at me all the time – “What do I do next, where do I go now, how do I do it?” This of course took up too much of my time. The others in the team made decisions themselves and regularly checked with me. This guy was a ‘bad fit,’ it didn’t work and he left very soon of his own accord.

5. They need to be happy

Job applicants don’t know what they’re getting into when they start a new job. They might think they know but how can they when they’ve never worked in your team or you company before. Just as it’s a risk for you when you start someone new, it’s also a risk for them. You’ll never totally eliminate the risk but it’s your job minimise the risk for both you and the applicant.

I’ve seen too many people start a new job and then find that it doesn’t suit them, they don’t like it and they want out. It causes problems for you as the manager; so I suggest you do every thing you can to avoid it.