I Would Rather Tame a Wild Duck...

So what makes an individual worthy of recruitment? Note I said recruitment, not "run an ad and lets see what trickles in. Maybe we will get lucky."

There are a lot of factors to consider when looking for a new employee, but to me nothing replaces passion. Passion for the work. Passion for family. Passion for life. I want to surround myself with people who enjoy life, not people that simply exist.

As you look out into the marketplace there are a great number of people who you can recruit to join your team, but for me, I will select passion over just skills anytime. Skills can be taught. Passion can not.

While some positions (rocket scientist, doctor, nuclear technician) experience is a dominating factor in selecting a new hire, there are millions of positions each year that are filled where experience and aptitude alone does not have to be the determining factor in the hiring decision.

Most positions that interact with the public need employees who are passionate about what they are doing. They are the face of the company. The nice lady at the video store is the face of XXXXXXX video, whether she chooses to be or not. Salesclerk, receptionist, secretary, customer service representative, stock clerk, managers, tellers, hair stylist, manicurist, sandwich maker, drive through attendant, flight attendant, pilot, ticket counter, auto mechanic, Seven Up salesman, telemarketer, police officer, fireman… If you interact with the public or individuals outside of your company, you are the face of the company. And as the hiring agent responsible for filling all these positions, it is your responsibility to select the very best person for these positions. And all things being equal, hire the individual who has the most passion. Someone who enjoys interacting with people. I will take a lesser “qualified” individual if I think I can train them in some of the operational issues if they demonstrate a passion for the job to me. Every time.

“I would rather train a wild duck, than wild a tame duck.”

I can teach a bright outgoing person to ring up a sale, answer a telephone, and use a computer. I have had considerable less success training an introvert to smile and make a client feel good about doing business with my company.

OK, that covers sales positions. What about all the other positions I have to fill? Accounting, auditing, tax, truck drivers, meter readers, scientists, number crunchers, janitors, maintenance, painters… They have little or no contact with the public or other companies.

But each of these employees is the face of your company because they interact with other employees in the company, frequently across departmental lines. I feel that every employee who works for me is a direct reflection on me. Personally. I hire accordingly.

Rely on some instincts, not simply the test scores.
Let’s look at how technology has affected the hiring process today. Back in the time of “yore”, when you wanted a new job you frequently contacted a recruiter by telephone. You then mailed a resume. The recruiter then called you back and you entered into a dialog about strengths and weaknesses, experiences, you actually had a conversation, which started a relationship. There was interaction. You got to know one another.

Today for many positions, everything is done on line or by email. “Data” (your accomplishments, skills, education, etc.) is complied into databases and searches are done by recruiters looking for specific skill sets. I spoke to an executive recruiter recently who told me that when he posts a job search, he almost instantly receives more emails than he can possibly respond to. “I upload them into the database and when someone needs a person with SQL or Oracle experience, I can get an immediate print out of all the individuals in our database with the pertinent skill set. I then set about contacting the individuals. The vast majority of these individuals I have never spoken with. We are simply over whelmed by information.”

He went on to say in many respects he “missed the good old days”. He may have had fewer contacts, but he knew something about everyone of them and frequently followed their careers for years. (As a side note, I have experience working in SQL, Access and Oracle – on the analysis end user side of the product – but I still receive unsolicited job offers from people who “found” my resume online and feel I would be “the ideal candidate for an SQL database manager position I am looking to fill in…” )

I have enjoyed a reputation, at times, as being “A little out there”. Frequently I interview “fringe” candidates and occasionally unqualified candidates. I have been asked on more than one occasion, “Why are you bothering to interview that person? They are not qualified for the position.” It is simple. I look for people, not just skill sets. I look for the diamond in the rough, not the perfect, finished product.

I wonder where I would be today if Norman Gates had not taken a chance on me in 1973.


WARNING: You can only adopt a passionate new hire program if you are willing to invest in Training a Developing your employees.

I have faith in my ability to train and develop.