I start with a short story first. A mother bought her son a whistle which the son kept on blowing. The mother grumbled about the noise her child made. She bought problems and not solutions to keep her child busy so that she could do her work.
This reminded me of organizations seeking to hire problem solvers but end up hiring problem creators.
From my own experience I realized that hiring new employees with outstanding track records can be quite misleading. There is no guarantee that achievers in the past shall be also achievers in the present or future times.
Human behavior is complex as it varies with the culture prevailing at work, type of organization and managerial support and how previous successes affected the personality and attitudes of a promising candidate.
Readiness in the past does not necessarily lead to readiness in the present time.
As much as we might mistakenly think the weather of prevailing few days ago would be the same today or tomorrow.
Be sure the culture prevailing at previous companies does not negate the prevailing culture in your organization.
Check if success changed the attitude of the candidate and if it boosted his ego. In particular, watch out what he says about his problem-solving ability and whether he says I did it or we or my team did it.
Honestly, I do not trust people who say I did it and not we did it. It shows lack of team spirit. Be sure this candidate is fit to work within a team or by himself.
Our VUCA world is so complex and it requires people who can work with others to open different possibilities and suggest diversified approaches.
A person with the attitude I can do it by myself is mostly drunk by his previous successes. This candidate can easily turn into a problem creator rather than problem solver.
The personal traits of a great problem-solver may not allow him to blend well within teams. I am a strong believer that minds working together produce much more than minds working on their own. Worse is if the employee causes disturbance of the team and leads to its disintegration.
Companies should remember they do not recruit history. They recruit for the day to solve problems and explore new and promising opportunities and investments.
Absolutely agree.
I have always been wary of resumes in which the use of the “I” was predominant.
In general principle, the goal is not to find a “perfect” candidate in an absolute sense, but rather to find a person who has the right combination of skills, experience and values to adapt to the new work environment. When a company hires, it is not just looking for skills, but wants someone who is able to fit in immediately, collaborate with the team, maintain and strengthen the existing corporate culture and operational harmony. It is a matter of evaluating whether or not the candidate shares the values, beliefs and objectives of the company and whether he or she will be able to thrive in that environment, who knows how to work well with the “current” organizational setup but also sincerely committed to evolving the culture in line with the needs of the future.
It will thus be possible, with an ad hoc ombording, to increase the probability and speed of positive insertion and strengthen retention.
Aldo- thank you for sharing your bright comment.
You discussed the importance of finding a candidate with the right combination of skills, experience, and values to adapt to a new work environment.
You rightly mentioned that hiring companies should not just focus on skills but also on evaluating the candidate’s shared values, beliefs, and objectives.
Very sound suggestion to which I agree and admire. Thank you
Thank you and have a nice day
Thank you and I wish the same for you