HIRE WHAT YOU CAN’T TRAIN

When you and your company decide it’s time to add someone new to your team, what is the first thing that you discuss?  Is it:

What do we hope they can achieve?

Your vision for what you hope this person can accomplish for your company is the most important part of the hiring process.

So why do we focus so much on what this person has already done? Why are we dedicated to matching resumes with job descriptions? Why do we focus on hiring the appropriate background instead of the right potential?

I understand that there are certain requirements people need to have to be competent at a job… some jobs more than others (I’m looking at you, Brain Surgeon and Rocket Scientist). But doesn’t it seem that in most jobs on the planet, if someone possesses a certain minimal knowledge base and skillset associated with the job, you could easily teach and coach them on every other aspect?

Can you teach them what they don’t know?

You can?

Good!

Do that.

When you free yourself from the constraints of finding the perfect resume match, you allow yourself to focus on questions that have much, much more exciting answers.  For example:  Could I get seriously jacked about doing my job with this person? Would I be proud to have this person represent my company to my best customer? Does this person have the potential to exceed even my wildest expectations?

If you focus solely on people who’ve already done the exact job you need them to do, you’re going to miss out on a lot of driven individuals who are hungry to take a step up and learn new things!  That intrinsic motivation may just cause them to launch you and your organization far beyond your original vision.

Hunt for the right person, not the right resume.

 

If you need help looking for the right person, click on the link below to fill out our complimentary needs assessment.