When you have a job opening to fill, what is the first thing that you do? I will bet you answered “write a job description” right? It is generally the first step to filling most jobs so that the applicants will read it and decide if they should apply. Then you need to interview a bunch of candidates to see who you think will be a good fit. I have had a few “aha moments” the past few weeks when it comes to job descriptions and interviewing that I thought I would share with you.
Job descriptions are definitely not the same at all. As I am working with clients looking for roles, this is a common conversation that we have. The job titles vary widely across companies – the title where you previously worked can have a very different set of responsibilities compared to other companies. Descriptions and titles don’t always align – read the description to see if it sounds like a role you would want and that would challenge you. The descriptions have a lot of trendy words or are only focused on what the person will do – it can be challenging to see what the job is actually about and if it is a good fit or not. It requires more research on the job candidate’s part to ensure that the role would be the best one for them and what skills and competencies someone would need for success. What if the hiring manager thought about the outcomes that they wanted for a role when they write the description to ensure they get the right candidates?
I am reading a book called “Scaling Up” by Verne Harnish that has a chapter on interviewing and selection and how to do this with a higher percentage of success. The book highlights a methodology called “Topgrading” by Brad and Geoff Smart to help you to hire the A players. (I had not heard of this before, but in doing a little research, I found that the Topgrading Company is actually close by where I live…small world!) This methodology has shown percentages of 90% success in hiring the right candidates vs 25-60% success using other approaches. Why is this so successful? They leverage a Job Scorecard including key outcomes and competencies to use in the process of filling a role as well as a ranking process. It takes out some of the subjectivity of the decision and looks at a role in terms of the outcomes that you want the person in the role to achieve vs what they will do. This methodology was used to train all of the managers at GE under Jack Welch to successfully hire future candidates as well as at many other companies.
Reading about this methodology gave me an “aha moment.” I have applied the outcome approach in other situations, but I had not considered applying it to job descriptions and interviews. Asking interview questions focused on the specific outcomes this person would need to achieve helps you think about their answers differently. “Have they already shown that they can achieve these types of outcomes on paper and during the interview?” “If they haven’t done it yet, do they have the capability to achieve these outcomes based on your conversation and their experience?” “Do they already have the competencies required or will they need to build them?” “Did they answer questions in a way that shows they will be a good fit in your culture?” Although when hiring a candidate there is usually a focus on driving for results, culture fit can in many ways be even more important than their ability to deliver. Depending on how strong the culture is, if the person cannot adapt to it, then they may leave or you may ask them to leave. Culture fit should be included as part of the decision making process to determine whether they will have success in your organization and team.
What are some key takeaways?
If you are the one looking for a new role you will have to do research and really prepare if you are interviewing. Learn all that you can about the company, culture and role to see if it is worth applying for or not. Make sure the role is a good fit for you and just because they list out 10 requirements, it doesn’t mean you have to have them all. (See tomorrow’s blog for more on this topic) Identify outcomes that you can share during the interview with the interviewer and use examples to demonstrate what you have done or what you can do.
If you are interviewing, you will need to really think about the key outcomes, competencies and culture fit that a person will need to have success in this role. What will you do differently to prepare a job description and interview questions if you focus on those three areas instead of what you may be doing today? There are some high costs involved with hiring a new candidate, training them and ensuring they are successful. Doing as much as you can to create success up front will certainly save you time and money in the long run.
Are you looking to make a change in your career or leadership? The power of a mastermind is there to help you move forward with the help and support of a group. Would you like to hear more about the Powerful Leadership Mastermind group that is just getting started? We have a few spots left for the group which meets every other week on Tuesday mornings.
The group is led by me and my partner (and cousin) Kim who are both ICF Certified Coaches. We are offering an introductory rate to join and we are looking for people who are motivated to make a change in their personal or professional lives. If you would like to learn more about it and join the group you can click on this link: Powerful Leadership Mastermind or reach out to me.