As a recruiter, you speak with a fair number of people every week. You speak with folks searching for their next great opportunity. You talk with hiring managers and decision-makers trying to better their team(s). Certain calls are exploratory while others are specific and focused on critical details related to a single role. In some conversations, it's easy to tease out a person’s skill set and in what role they would excel. While in other talks, it can be tough to figure out exactly where an individual might be a fit. Lots of companies are looking for the famous “multi-tool player.’
I always like to inform candidates of what the role is NOT.
For example, this position is not part of a larger team.
This role does not have direct reports.
This role does not require travel.
This role does not come with a company vehicle.
This role does not require a degree in chemical engineering.
I then ask them if they feel that the position I have just described suits what they are looking for and if there is even slight hesitation, then it's probably not the best fit.
A recent example of this scenario involved a role that required a person to be as independent as I’ve ever seen. The position was on its own, like an island, and the company was as transparent as they could be about the scenario. They needed someone who could ride solo, create change, and make zero excuses. The role isn’t just remote, it's without support, and it’s also key in the company’s success moving forward.
As you can imagine, explaining this scenario to candidates was interesting. By implementing the aforementioned technique, it was actually straightforward to tease out who was the right fit and who was not.
For this particular role, the autonomous DOER the hiring company was seeking was brought out in their response. When I told the candidates what the role was not, they either blossomed or floundered and it was clear as day. Ironically, it was the candidates who immediately told me what they were not that shined brightest. They qualified for the role and their own skill set and were able to correctly identify whether the position was a fit.
The candidates brimming with overconfidence but zero concrete examples of having worked successfully in a similar circumstance stuck out mightily.
My job was done.
“Eliminate who you are NOT first, and you'll find yourself where you need to be.”
— Matthew McConaughey
Written by: Rob Scherer, Vice President at Hunter Crown, LLC
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