Why the interview process can be a game of inches

Too soon to be thinking and talking about football?  Never.  But today's story is actually related to surfing.  How is that for a lead-in for this week's blog topic?  Football and surfing on a Monday.  Warning, this blog is actually still work-related, so don't keep reading if you were only looking for a fantasy football update or checking the waves on the beaches.

I selected the picture of a referee measuring for a first down to symbolize how sometimes a matter of an inch or two can powerfully impact the outcome of a game.  Similarly, small details in an interview process that may seem mundane or even unnecessary can sway the decision of a prospective candidate.  And not even knowing that something small could make this big impact could be an even bigger symptom of a bigger problem.

Case in point, my family recently went on vacation and we were near a beach that was a popular spot for surfing.  At my age I know what is good for me and what constitutes a bad idea.  So I did not try to rent a surfboard and attempt anything too crazy.  But our hotel did have some boogie boards that were free for hotel guests, so I decided to give it a shot.  Little did I know that I was not supposed to be sharing the big waves with the surfers.  I was coming into shore off of a larger wave when I saw a surfer heading right for me.  The wave went over my head and as I saw my life flash before my eyes this surfboard went over my head by a small margin.  The surfer came right onto the beach to check on me and seemed quite concerned.  I told him I was fine and went about my way.  My wife told me later that she watched it all unfold and said it looked like the surfboard missed me by what appeared to only be a few inches.  It could have been ugly.  Luckily I learned a lesson the easy way and not the hard way.

I have seen clients learn the hard way during an interview process and take one on the proverbial chin.  From not knowing that a candidate was interviewing other places to missing a small detail on an agenda to having someone on the interview panel cancel last minute, there are a lot of moments in the process where thing can take a turn for the worse if you're not too careful.  The best defense is a good offense.  While never a guarantee, all football coaches go into a game with a plan, learn from any mistakes they make, and never stop trying to get better at making the process as seamless as possible.  I wish I would have done the same thing on the beach.  Had I just asked a few simple questions of other beach-goers, or even some of the surfers, I could have made a better (and safer) game plan for what I hoped to do on the boogie board.  Sure I might have looked a little unprepared or even worse a middle-aged man from the Midwest trying too hard to fit in with the young and buff surfer dudes.  But it would have ensured the game of inches was won by a wider margin than it was at the end of the day.

Have you ever had an experience where you missed hiring a candidate by a small margin?  And if so, did you learn from that experience and incorporate new details into your recruiting strategy moving forward?

Why it is important to honor commitments in an interview

Jordan Spieth had an important question to ask himself after winning the U.S. Open last month - do I honor my commitment to a small-town tournament in Iowa or prepare to win the Open Championship overseas and try to win three major tournaments in a row?  It didn't take him long to make his decision as he called the tournament director at the John Deere Classic the same day he won the U.S. Open to see if they could arrange a chartered flight from the Quad Cities to St. Andrews.  Once they said yes, he committed to coming to their tournament the week before.

I don't know about you, but the idea of playing in humid Iowa conditions this week (triple digit heat index and 100% humidity) does not sound like a good tune-up to traveling six times zones over to another continent to play in grueling conditions for the Open Championship.  Not only did he do it, but he won the whole darn thing in a two-hole playoff.  Talk about making the most of the opportunity afforded him!

I had something similar happen to a candidate recently, and we actually see if quite often.  They had multiple interviews lined up, one company really got aggressive and extended an offer earlier than expected, and unfortunately it wasn't the candidate's first choice.  This individual decided to go with the philosophy of one in the hand vs. two in the bush and accept the offer.  Another company continued to pursue a conversation, this person said yes, and ended up with another offer.  Both were attractive offers, and a tough decision had to be made.  The idea of honoring the first commitment was the prevailing thought.

While disappointed, everyone understood and respected the decision for a few reasons.  The first is that it was clearly communicated to everyone what the circumstances were.  Had something been omitted or hidden from the conversation, it might have come to a different conclusion.  But because everyone knew the rules of engagement, the door is now open down the road for the second company to consider this candidate again for employment opportunities.

Secondly, timing came into play as an important determining factor.  One company clearly seized an opportunity, moved quickly, and was chosen because of it.  No one would have blamed Jordan if he had cancelled his appearance at the John Deere Classic because of the proximity in timing to the Open Championship.  But because there was a window of time that worked, he took advantage.  The candidate in my example had enough time to consider both opportunities, but was really forced to make a decision quickly.  Because of that everyone involved was able to process the fact that the company that moved quickly and first was expecting an answer and firm commitment quickly.

Lastly, there is a balance between long term and short term goals.  Sure it would have been a lasting legacy for Jordan's career if he had won the first three majors of the year and given himself a chance at a calendar grand slam.  But he also knows at 21 years of age that he has plenty more opportunities to win.  And he wanted to do things right in his golf career from very early on.  Similarly, this candidate will be able to keep in touch with the second employer because of the way the situation was handled.  The first offer was a good one, will be a good career opportunity, but future conversations with the second company will always be a possibility.  That is a win, win in my book.

Have you ever had a situation where someone did NOT honor a commitment to interview or accept an offer?  How did you feel about that afterward?

Three tips to an effective long term recruiting strategy

In case you haven't heard, over the weekend the final match for the World Cup set a viewing record.  More people than ever tuned in to watch the re-match between USA and Japan.  Four years ago the Japanese women's team beat the U.S., and they found themselves in the championship again this year.  This time the U.S. team was victorious and in pretty resounding fashion.

Admittedly I am not much of a true soccer fan, but I was drawn to a few of the stories that I believe draw a parallel with the world of recruiting.  As you look to build a team and a culture within an office setting, there are a few things I think we could all learn from this resilient group of women.

1)  Balance veteran leadership with mentoring young talent.  I can't tell you how many times we get asked by candidates who they will be working with.  This includes who they will report to, who else they work alongside, and any other departments they will have interaction with.  If someone is newer in the industry, they will want to have someone guiding them in their new job.  If you cannot show them they will receive that at your organization it will definitely be a mark against you.  On the flip side of that coin there may be a candidate with a great deal of tenure in the industry that could be a key member of a younger team to provide expertise and perspective to the team.  

2)  Use the failures of the past to help build the future.  I guarantee the four-year lapse between matches was not enough time for the U.S. team to forget the gut-wrenching loss in 2011.  They used that to fuel their fire to win this time around.  Sometimes it isn't even true failures, but just lost opportunities.  Earlier this year I had a client interested in a candidate, only to have that person take another job.  For a number of reasons that move did not work out for the candidate.  My client was open to the idea of talking with her again, they really hit it off, and she accepted an offer to join them in a perfect match of a role.  Win, win!

3)  Ignore outside distractions.  I am not here to debate any of the relevance of the side stories spun in the media with a few of the players on the U.S. team.  The bottom line is that they did not let any of that negative attention distract them from their goal of winning the Cup.  Oftentimes I see companies let outside noise affect hiring decisions.  Whether it be an informal reference saying something about a candidate or speculation about someone's past work history or even choices about where someone has worked in the past, sometimes you just have to rely upon your own recruitment process.  If that is working, trust it.  Don't allow outside distractions to prevent you from making a good hire.  

Just as the recent performance in the World Cup will certainly draw some new fans and players to the sport, what else can you do to affect your long term recruiting strategy?  Do you have a winning formula right now that includes some of these ideas?  As always, I would love to hear from you as we work every day to build these championship teams for our clients.