Executive Hiring Tips—Part 4: Map Out the Key Hiring Success Factors
Being definitive and crystal clear on desired candidate qualities saves you time and money.
- Rank the qualities that the position requires
- Identify similar industries and companies where potential candidates might match in skills
- Build a bullet-proof screening process
Once key success factors are identified and ranked, share them with the hiring stakeholders so everyone is on the same page, thus saving time and eliminating confusion.
Core competencies and qualities should be added onto a list and then prioritized. Aim for candidates who match all qualities, but rank them based on the skills that map to the business objectives your company intends to solve over the next 12-24 months.
High-tech is a competitive market so you may want to consider expanding beyond your immediate industry to find untapped talent pools. The trick here is to target industry segments with comparable growth paths and timeframes that your industry is experiencing; the talent may lack immediate domain expertise, but will align nicely in other key areas of the success factors. For example, an executive at a games company in the 90’s can potentially be a great leader in the social software space today.
Tracking candidates internally goes beyond the HR department. All stakeholders should be given the same tools to convey their input on a candidate. Candid feedback from your team is critical. Find ways to incentivize your stakeholders to document and share their feedback quickly. Candidates are looking for a team that knows what they want; they can accept a quick go/no-go, but if feedback is delayed, it can potentially convey the wrong message or stall momentum.
Visit us at www.vantagesf.wpengine.com to learn more about hiring success factor development for attracting the right executive to your company.
Steve O’Deegan is Managing Director of Vantage Partners, a leading retained executive search firm in the Bay Area. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone (408) 656-7079. Visit Vantage Partners at www.vantagesf.wpengine.com