What does the “right fit” really mean and how do you hire someone who has it?
13 Jun, 2019
Ted Coss addresses an often-discussed topic in recruiting: how to know if you found the right person for the job.
When people ask me what an executive search firm, and, in particular, an executive recruiter does, I tell them we are matchmakers between companies and candidates. Our goal, and what drives us, is the opportunity to create a successful connection where the hiring manager, the employee, and the organization itself thrive.
Similar to those in our personal lives, great partnerships in business are both art and science. That said, there are some good tenets to follow, and plenty of advice from others who have been there and done that.
Mary Winfield, Vice President of Customer Experience and Trust at Lyft, follows the mantra “hiring to delight.” Winfield explains that Lyft’s hiring process focuses on three core factors about the candidate. “They need to be aligned with Lyft’s core values, they must care deeply and authentically about our customers and their experience, and they get energy from the work of customer care,” she said. “On the job, there are no phone scripts to follow, so it’s an absolute must that candidates are able to care and engage with customers with authenticity.”
Sometimes fit is simply a matter of a passion on the part of the candidate. Georgene Huang, CEO & Co-founder of Fairygodboss said, “I believe a candidate is a better match in the longer term if they have a genuine interest in the culture and mission and products/services of your company….There will always be good and bad times at a company and the people who want to work somewhere specific because of what the company does or stands for will tend to weather those ups and downs better.”
In my personal experience in evaluating candidates both for our clients, as well as here at BEC Search, we talk about identifying and hiring candidates that simply “get it.” After spending the past 29 years recruiting and evaluating both executive leadership, as well as front line sales representatives, the top talent can separate themselves from everyone else in just a few minutes. It’s typically not just one aspect of their experience or background, but it’s their ability to connect. That connection, more often than not, results in the hiring of the next impact player.
So, let the recruiters who “get it” help you navigate the complexities of finding the candidates that “get it” for your next leadership role. With over 40 years of extremely specialized expertise, we would love to prove how we can be the right fit for your company as well! Let’s talk.
