Assessing key talent

November 13, 2011 at 8:25 PM

Assessing Key talent

Believe what people show you.

In the same way that your branding says a lot about you as a company take note of the small details that people inadvertently tell you about themselves during the recruitment process. Poorly presented Cvs ,constant rearranging of meetings, failure to call back when they have said they will, slightly scruffy presentation. All these things happen at senior level and sometimes because the person interviews well clients want to overlook them. Overlook them if you will but 99 times out of 100 there will be a reason for them that you must acknowledge and address or be able to handle . It will not go away.

"The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them." Maya Angelou

Put performance in context.

A top performer in a large well branded organisation may have a high fee earning history by virtue of where they work. Doe your recruitment process take note of this? Alternatively someone in a smaller organisation may be achieving what looks less on paper despite a lack of resources .Consider how their potential might increase with the backing of a larger organisation. If you are a smaller organisation be sure you have understood the support / marketing budget and deal flow the candidate you are appointed has been used to, in order to achieve.

Stay involved and use emotional intelligence.

Research indicates that one of the worst moves business owner/director can make is disengaging from the hiring process. If you look at top organisations you'll find that communication up and down the ranks in these companies is more open, and more frequent, than in other companies. Top management is more accessible, which makes employees at all levels feel engaged in meeting the company's goals Passing down your passion for the recruitment using your own contacts and network or working to elicit input from other team members, fully briefing your headhunter and maybe appearing on video to present the opportunity from the horse’s mouth, are all ways to ensure your involvement in the process.

And when you're in the process of hiring a new senior level employee, remember to carefully assess your applicants' emotional intelligence (EI) along with their intellectual capability. Research shows that an ability assessment doesn't predict job success nearly as accurately when used alone as it does when combined with assessments of the cognitive and social abilities that comprise someone's emotional intelligence. An EI evaluation offers a strong indication of how well an applicant may fit into your organization.

Summary

People give clues about themselves during the interview process. Pay attention

Put everything in context. Top performance is only relative to others within a similar circumstance

Use more than one method of assessment and use emotional intelligence as part of the process