Employers Seeking A Cultural Match & The Marathon Interview Process
The weather is first beginning to get a little warmer and much like the Yankees (thus far)... the job market has been off to a SLOW START. Wait... let me re-phrase that ---- HIRING is happening at a far slower pace than I expected.
Starting back as many as 5-10 years ago; employers dramatically changed their approach to hiring. Not only did they empower Human Resources as true "Business Partners" --- but they began to "hire by committee". This trend was born from a concern for ensuring candidates were a cultural/chemistry match to the team... and company as a whole.
As a result -- it is very common for the 50K and 250K candidate to have 3 or 4 interviews --- over 4 -6 (sometimes 8) week period. During these interviews, it is understood they will meet not only HR and the Hiring Manager --- but peers... and in some cases --- subordinates --- all in an attempt to evaluate the CULTURAL MATCH.
The scary truth is that based on the hundreds of job seekers I speak with every week -- many of the more "sought after" employers are extending this process out to 3 or 4 months.
Through the period of our economic collapse (2008-2010)... I understood that we were in an "employer's market". However, as our economy has healed (especially in NYC) --- I believe many employers are SLOW to recognize the fierce competition for talent that has been taking place for nearly 2 years. As a result... they draft a job description (sometimes a WISH LIST) ... and "shop for talent".... looking for this mythical candidate that "checks off ALL the boxes on their spec".
When you combine this often unrealistic expectation --- with the incredible emphasis placed on "cultural match" --- you begin to understand why so many positions remain UN-FILLED. I am not suggesting that companies should lower their standards --- by any means. I do believe that with the advent of large internal TALENT ACQUISITION teams and more people internally involved in the interview and hiring process --- that the process has become less (not more) efficient.
If cultural match is so important --- more companies should get creative about "spending time" with candidates of interest in later rounds of interviews. Perhaps, have a finalist spend a FULL DAY with the team? Maybe the Hiring Manager and 2 team members could meet finalists for a long lunch or dinner (outside of the corporate environment) to get a better sense for this person's true personality? Wouldn't it make sense to have "candidates of interest" remain in contact BY PHONE with key decision makers THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS --- perhaps on a SCHEDULED "CHECK-IN" so they could get to know them INDIVIDUALLY --- and have them remain FRESH IN THEIR MEMORY? These are all simple suggestions that just require an investment of time and a bit more organization. It's seems a much better alternative to trying to evaluate whether someone "FITS" in 45 minutes of "formal conversation".
In addition... I am finding it more and more common that the scope of a job -- seems to change -- mid-way through an interview process. I am also seeing that often different people involved in the interview process ---- have a DIFFERENT understanding of the position and key responsibilities. The explanation is simple "too many cooks in the kitchen". While the idea of including a number of people in a decision is appealing -- the downside -- is that that PEOPLE RARELY AGREE. The other possible explanation is that a search is initiated before truly understanding the need for the role. Ultimately, this just ends up wasting everyone's time.
Let me also throw a little blurb in about FOLLOW UP. If you are going to torture someone by putting them through 16 interviews over 6 months --- with 45 different people --- the least you can do is have the courtesy to respond (at some point) to let them know where they stand. To me --- the way a company treats a candidate in an interview process is a clear indication of what's to come as an employee.
At the end of the day -- I GET IT! Companies want to make the best hiring decision. It just seems that the interview process has become an obstacle course for candidates to move through filled with people who are looking for reasons NOT to hire them. To me, many employers have become like that friend you have --- who you introduce FANTASTIC potential mates to. You introduce people to your friend that have stellar educations... come from good families... are good looking... and they go out on a date. You ask your friend how the date went and your friend says "So & So" was great ... but I am pretty sure --- if I keep looking ---I will find someone BETTER. I like to refer to this as employer WINDOW SHOPPING.
CURRENT HIRING TRENDS:
As much of my recruitment practice relates to Beauty, Advertising and Entertainment... the emphasis is on marketing and brand messaging. However... for the past 12 months there has been a dramatic uptick in the demand for DIGITAL "talent" on the Client/Brand side.
The areas that are hottest are:
DIGITAL MARKETING (CONTENT/STRATEGY)
E-COMMERCE
CRM
DIGITAL ANALYTICS
DIGITAL DESIGN/DIGITAL ART DIRECTION
USER EXPERIENCE
MOBILE MARKETING
SOCIAL MEDIA
DIGITAL MEDIA PLANNING/STRATEGY
Would love to stay connected --- so follow me:
@talentmagnet
www.facebook.com/thetalentmagnet
" You miss 100% of the shots that you never take." - Wayne Gretzky
Starting back as many as 5-10 years ago; employers dramatically changed their approach to hiring. Not only did they empower Human Resources as true "Business Partners" --- but they began to "hire by committee". This trend was born from a concern for ensuring candidates were a cultural/chemistry match to the team... and company as a whole.
As a result -- it is very common for the 50K and 250K candidate to have 3 or 4 interviews --- over 4 -6 (sometimes 8) week period. During these interviews, it is understood they will meet not only HR and the Hiring Manager --- but peers... and in some cases --- subordinates --- all in an attempt to evaluate the CULTURAL MATCH.
The scary truth is that based on the hundreds of job seekers I speak with every week -- many of the more "sought after" employers are extending this process out to 3 or 4 months.
Through the period of our economic collapse (2008-2010)... I understood that we were in an "employer's market". However, as our economy has healed (especially in NYC) --- I believe many employers are SLOW to recognize the fierce competition for talent that has been taking place for nearly 2 years. As a result... they draft a job description (sometimes a WISH LIST) ... and "shop for talent".... looking for this mythical candidate that "checks off ALL the boxes on their spec".
When you combine this often unrealistic expectation --- with the incredible emphasis placed on "cultural match" --- you begin to understand why so many positions remain UN-FILLED. I am not suggesting that companies should lower their standards --- by any means. I do believe that with the advent of large internal TALENT ACQUISITION teams and more people internally involved in the interview and hiring process --- that the process has become less (not more) efficient.
If cultural match is so important --- more companies should get creative about "spending time" with candidates of interest in later rounds of interviews. Perhaps, have a finalist spend a FULL DAY with the team? Maybe the Hiring Manager and 2 team members could meet finalists for a long lunch or dinner (outside of the corporate environment) to get a better sense for this person's true personality? Wouldn't it make sense to have "candidates of interest" remain in contact BY PHONE with key decision makers THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS --- perhaps on a SCHEDULED "CHECK-IN" so they could get to know them INDIVIDUALLY --- and have them remain FRESH IN THEIR MEMORY? These are all simple suggestions that just require an investment of time and a bit more organization. It's seems a much better alternative to trying to evaluate whether someone "FITS" in 45 minutes of "formal conversation".
In addition... I am finding it more and more common that the scope of a job -- seems to change -- mid-way through an interview process. I am also seeing that often different people involved in the interview process ---- have a DIFFERENT understanding of the position and key responsibilities. The explanation is simple "too many cooks in the kitchen". While the idea of including a number of people in a decision is appealing -- the downside -- is that that PEOPLE RARELY AGREE. The other possible explanation is that a search is initiated before truly understanding the need for the role. Ultimately, this just ends up wasting everyone's time.
Let me also throw a little blurb in about FOLLOW UP. If you are going to torture someone by putting them through 16 interviews over 6 months --- with 45 different people --- the least you can do is have the courtesy to respond (at some point) to let them know where they stand. To me --- the way a company treats a candidate in an interview process is a clear indication of what's to come as an employee.
At the end of the day -- I GET IT! Companies want to make the best hiring decision. It just seems that the interview process has become an obstacle course for candidates to move through filled with people who are looking for reasons NOT to hire them. To me, many employers have become like that friend you have --- who you introduce FANTASTIC potential mates to. You introduce people to your friend that have stellar educations... come from good families... are good looking... and they go out on a date. You ask your friend how the date went and your friend says "So & So" was great ... but I am pretty sure --- if I keep looking ---I will find someone BETTER. I like to refer to this as employer WINDOW SHOPPING.
CURRENT HIRING TRENDS:
As much of my recruitment practice relates to Beauty, Advertising and Entertainment... the emphasis is on marketing and brand messaging. However... for the past 12 months there has been a dramatic uptick in the demand for DIGITAL "talent" on the Client/Brand side.
The areas that are hottest are:
DIGITAL MARKETING (CONTENT/STRATEGY)
E-COMMERCE
CRM
DIGITAL ANALYTICS
DIGITAL DESIGN/DIGITAL ART DIRECTION
USER EXPERIENCE
MOBILE MARKETING
SOCIAL MEDIA
DIGITAL MEDIA PLANNING/STRATEGY
Would love to stay connected --- so follow me:
@talentmagnet
www.facebook.com/thetalentmagnet
" You miss 100% of the shots that you never take." - Wayne Gretzky
