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If
you're a dog lover like me, you know that
February means one thing - the
annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. For
two nights I'm glued to my
television, watching the pooches duke it out for
top dog (or, pardon me,
"Best in Show").
Curled up on the sofa observing all this
madness is our Golden Retriever
Cleo and our Scottie Duffy, both perplexed that
they can see their
friends but cannot smell them!
I always wonder when I watch Westminster
just how the judges actually arrive
at their decisions of "Best of Breed" and
ultimately "Best in
Show." It seems so arbitrary. And I think
Westminster is like the hiring
process - it's very arbitrary and judgmental.
But the key to great hiring, as at Westminster, is
that the judgmental part
comes only after the basic qualifications have not
only been met -- but have
been exceeded!
Here's how it should
work . . . . .
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Qualifying
At Westminster and your company there's
a qualifying process.
You would use the elements of your job
description to qualify candidates.
For example: demonstrated track record
of successful channel
management in software; product launch
experience; or a consistent
track record of over-quota sales
performance. As with the dogs,
there should be standards that your
candidates meet and exceed.
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Previous Wins?
Where has your candidate
"shown" and performed before?
In a large, competitive setting or a smaller,
highly uncompetitive
company? Have they won any previous
awards? Any national or local
recognition?
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Breeding
Of course, here it gets a little dicey when
you're dealing with
humans. Suffice it to say, if your job requires
a level of technical
expertise, you may want to restrict your
search to candidates from
certain schools which you know turn out
"best of breed"
engineers, scientists, etc. But let's drop the
analogy here and
thank our lucky stars that there are
some benefits to being
a human and not a dog, besides not having
to use the back yard!
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The Interview/Show
How does your candidate show? Are they
well groomed and meticulous
in their appearance? Are they nervous and
tentative, or are they
confident and forthright in their responses?
Are they on time and
calm, or are they late and flustered?
Remember, if they can't get
it together for the big show that should be
an important sign.
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Now - All Things Being Equal . . .
All right, your candidates have met and
exceeded the basic requirements
of the job to be done. Let's say you have two or
three very different
and very good candidates to choose from.
Personal Preference at This Point Is Okay!
That's right. At this point in your hiring it's a
matter of personal
choice. Just like we all have our favorites in the
dog classes-the terriers,
the working dogs, the hounds - and no one breed
is "better"
than another, it's a matter of personal choice
who we vote for.
We have a personal affinity to certain dogs as
we have a personal affinity
towards certain types of people as well. And,
even though there are sound
reasons behind our choice when picking a breed
to own (small apartment/small
dog or lots of land/bigger dog), there are also
some very intangible reasons
why we like certain breeds. This is what a friend
of mine calls, "The Likability
Factor"
(Not to be confused with the "Lickability
Factor"!)
That's right! Who do you like best?
Who do you think your fellow
employees will like best? Who will your customers
like best?
Just like the final stages at Westminster, all of
the dogs are fabulous dogs
- any one of them would be a great choice. But
the judges have clear preferences
for certain dogs and some dogs are just more
endearing in their "likability
quotient" -- like this year's winner
"Mick," a six-year-old
Kerry Blue terrier.
Make sure all the candidates in the final
judging are fabulous candidates
- and then you can have confidence when you
pin your "Best of Show"
ribbon on your personal favorite! Aarrf Aarrf!!
P.S. If you love dogs too and haven't seen
"Best in Show",
put that one on your Blockbuster rental list for
the next time. It's a
hoot.
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