By Laurie A. Pehar Borsh, and contributed by Dianna Wilusz, CEO of The Pendolino Group
Did you know that first-time employees, those hired fresh out of college, and those returning to the workforce from either a stint of entrepreneurialism or from taking time-off, mid-career to volunteer, “retire”, or to reassess their career objectives – are often the best employees that your company will ever hire according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal.
Why is that? The reason is actually quite simple: experience, innovation, and core motivation.
In the WSJ article, Mr. Giandrea shared that many people [returning to work] are interested in the “non-monetary benefits of continued employment,” including “mental stimulation and continued social networks.” He added, “I think it’s the case that many people like their jobs. We think people are revealing what they prefer through their actions.”
Note that these are the same hallmarks of people who are entering the job market for the first time as well – they too are seeking: “mental stimulation, continued social networks, and revealing what they prefer through their actions.”
This opens up an excellent opportunity to realign your recruiting practice with your Vision and break away from the reasonableness of the status quo. An opportunity to intentionally target hiring the unemployed, experienced and older worker, and new college graduates – intentionally avoiding the most heavily recruited group of “25-40 somethings.”
Concentrating your hiring practices toward the unemployed, experienced and older worker, and the new college graduate/intern, is counter to what most recruiters will tell us. Rather they often suggest that hiring direct from your competitors and concentrating your recruiting search on those people who are currently employed, mid-careered, and with little/no gaps in their employment history, is the way to go. But, that stands to reason since recruiting from a candidate pool of actively employed is the life-blood of the recruiting profession… and let’s be honest… it’s much easier to source candidates that are actively employed.
While there is nothing wrong with that approach per se, intentionally (or unintentionally) practicing a hiring bias toward those already “actively employed” can have a direct negative impact on the quality of your culture and therefore the ultimate success of your business to achieve your Vision.
In addition, by throwing your hiring process into the frenzy with your competitors, you inadvertently set yourself, and your company, up for what we call the “scarcity bias.”
This is the same bias that marketeers count on through the use of last minute, end-of-season sales. You are led to believe that the talent simply doesn’t exist… or is scarce. Hence, you are biased to make the hire fast – rather than patiently plan and wait for the right hire.
How is it that managers and HR have been led so far astray by the conventional wisdom so as to put their business and their teams at risk? More importantly, now that you know otherwise, how can you apply your refreshed knowledge about the advantages to hiring the unemployed, the older worker, and the new college graduate/intern? And, what is the first step that you should take to succeed in applying a methodical Contrarian Recruiting Practice (CRP)?
“Harvard Business Review suggested that 85 percent of hiring managers and human resource managers are more understanding of employment gaps now than they were pre-recession.”
Following are the top four non-technical skills [SOURCE: Vanto Group] to look for when practicing the contrarian hiring philosophy to positively shape your company culture, and align your team to achieve your Vision and deliver rapid and inspiring results.
The top skills of successful (and powerful) people that you’ll want on your team:
1. They Understand (and Live) Integrity
- Integrity at its most fundamental level, is doing what you said you would do, when you said you would do it. But, that is just where it starts…
- Integrity also includes cleaning up the messes you have made by not doing what you said, by breaking your promises, and by not being responsible for your actions.
- Successful people know that to maintain integrity requires discipline. And, discipline is a condition of self control, rigor and maintaining order.
2. They Thrive on the Power of Relationships
- Successful people in business (and in life), know that people become resources for your life.
- You know that people may be the coaches for your success… and, relationships are the vehicle to make this happen.
- Powerful people create powerful alliances with others; powerful people (those who live up to their word) have powerful resources, and
- They allow other people to contribute to creating a shared Vision.
3. They Breathe the Essence and Sustainability of Existence
- By existence we not only mean that the Vision exists but, how the Vision exists.
- Successful people have a Vision, they realize that their Vision lives in the conversations that they have.
- And, successful people manage their conversations wisely and to ensure that their Vision continues to exist – it never goes out of existence.
- Keep your Vision (a possibility) in existence by having a structure – and this is where you can quickly shape the positive effect of your recruiting practice.
- Seek candidates that thrive on milestones, a visual display of their work and passion, use tracking tools, timelines, and monitor their progress.
- These are people who know how to keep the game alive in distance, time and form – they have the tools and the commitment to keep the Vision alive in reality.
- Successful people know that you need to keep the existence of the Vision (the progress of the game to achieve that Vision) up to date with accurate information.
4. Lastly, They Leverage the Multiplicative Nature of Enrollment:
- Powerful people, new grads and experienced older workers, are often at the peak of understanding the multiplicative nature of enrollment.
- Enrollment is causing new possibilities (a Vision) to become present for another, and understood by the other, such that they are touched moved
and inspired by that possibility. - This is at the heart of engagement and engagement is at the heart of your culture. This is what moves others into action.
- Seek candidates that are at the peak of understanding the nature of engagement. They are energized by their own Vision… and see the integrative nature of their personal Vision with your company Vision.
Remember you can have any business result you want for your company that you invent as a possibility when you enroll others in your having achieved that Vision.
Acting intentionally to shift your hiring practice can accelerate the achievement of your Vision. “Hire slow and fire fast” – Commit to your Vision and know that to accomplish your Vision may require you to act in unreasonable ways, buck the conventional trends, and have the courage to act in contrarian ways.
When you seek candidates that are at the peak of these four pillars (Integrity, Relationship, Existence, and Enrollment) you can enjoy the ride as you select powerful people to join you in achieving your business goals!
For guidance regarding Interim HR, Candidate Selection and Leadership Training, or to conduct a thorough review of your HR practices to ensure cultural engagement and strategic alignment, the Pendolino Group is here to support you and your team. Reach out to us at: 1-(888) 726-1414 or info@pendolinogroup.com to explore more.
Be sure to catch up with Dianna Wilusz at HR West 2017!
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