Exhibit A: The Eager Beaver. She is energized, willing to learn and a true sponge in every sense of the word. You give her a task and she will embrace it and learn it.
Exhibit B: The aggressive go-getter. No need to direction. This one is self-sufficient and seeks out challenges and solutions.
Who do I want to hire?
Candidate A who shows the promise to learn and grow, but will need a tremendous amount of hand holding or Candidate B who is a self-directed work horse.
The only question I need to ask myself as a hiring manager is this: Which candidate will advance in this organization and drive positive results?
Yes, every single reader got that right. But that isn’t the lesson here. The lesson isn’t for the hiring managers or the recruiters, but the candidates.
Cultural Fit
• Personality + soft skills = Cultural Fit
• Soft skills + technical skills + adaptability + cultural fit = Long term loyalty
• Ambition + innovation + research and execution + leadership skills + project management skills = Priceless. You can’t buy that kind of talent. Actually you can.
The formula for success is not mapped out on a flow chart or a process document. This is not a long complex equation built out by a PhD at Stanford University (No intent to snub M.I.T.) nor a detailed research white paper. The formula for success is understanding your business, building a business model that promotes creative and innovative thought management and providing the resources and tools for success.
The heart of this formula is the right talent: the mix of diversification that will bring it all together. In any organization you will have your strong and weak performers. It is the nature curve of life. That doesn’t dictate that you cannot move the curve in favor of the strong.
There is an old adage, surround yourself with good people and you begin to see good results. The principles of the laws of attraction can be applied to the workforce. Find the common thread and build on it.
The common thread is culture. Find people that compliment your culture and you will shine.
The Hiring Manager has made a decision
Back to Candidate A and B. They have been sitting in the lobby sweating bullets waiting for feedback and all we are doing is talking about how to populate your organization with good people.
We know who we are selecting. Do you think they do?
Unfortunately, so many of the eager beavers don’t even realize what is right in front of them. They are nice, energetic, adaptable, flexibility and so willing to learn. Poor saps. The truth is that the big bad business wolf doesn’t want to huff and huff and blow the house down. Translated: they don’t want to put the time and effort into training. They need doers. Hard-nosed and successful doers. That is the business world today.
I was asked once, “How do I get from Wisconsin non-profits to silicon valley?” My response was, “You are adorable. I want to package you up and put a ribbon on top. You are incredibly intelligent and know you stuff, but you are a sweet talking soft spoken Midwest girl. You need a hard shell and soon. The world won’t ever see how much you can contribute unless you assert yourself in that world.” She is now a senior HR leader in the San Francisco bay area.
To all the Exhibit A’s out there, it will be hard to find companies that want to hold your hand in the workplace. Find your direction, develop a strategy and get there.
