“We are looking for a Head Quality”, says the customer on the phone. He sends us the job description, asks for an offer, and at the same time expects the submission of the first suitable profiles. Fast and high quality? You will think that’s absurd.
That can, but does not have to be, contradicting itself. Modern and effective methods can also be used in the search for personnel, which ensure rapid project success with high individual requirements. Because even with the same job title, every company environment is different and must be taken into account from the start.
There are very quick solutions. Reaching into the database and the network: you have the perfect candidate immediately! The agent scans his address book, existing contacts are checked and acquaintances from the network are presented. Including naming at the first telephone contact! The potential candidate group remains manageable and is also becoming increasingly narrow.
The agile approach in personnel selection
We advocate a quick, but not the fastest solution. We were inspired by the “agile” approach from software development. We summarize the search & selection process in four steps: briefing, search approach, selection, and presentation. These steps are broken down into small sub-steps. These can be carried out iteratively in parallel in repetitive steps. In this way, we ensure quickly visible interim results, rapid project progress, and simultaneous adaptation to customer requirements in the course of the project.
Briefing: situation analysis and outlook
Anyone who aims for tangible results too quickly at the beginning, i.e. at finished candidate dossiers, often loses valuable time. That is why we encourage a compact briefing with the customer. In addition to the job description of the predecessor, there are always company-specific, unique, and individual goals that the new job holder should achieve in the future. Some tasks require a set of technical knowledge, relevant experience, and previous successes. A preferred way of choosing, leading, communicating. We consultants have to understand right from the start what the company understands by strong leadership, performance-oriented or communicative. Ideally, we should also exchange ideas with the people around the position to be filled. This is the only way we can ensure that we apply the correct selection criteria in the course of the search. This makes searching and addressing efficient.
Search approach: The right start with parallel approaches
It is important to start with the careful creation of the profile. Little involved people internally and internal research. In this way, the information remains bundled with us as consultants. Mistakes in these first steps are fatal to the result. This is followed by a systematic and thorough search in which we exhaust all possibilities that the Internet and modern information technology offer: social media, company websites, lectures at conferences, specialist articles, annual reports, etc.
In iterative, labor-intensive, and tailor-made steps
Then different circles draw around possible solutions and work in iterative small steps. The agile approach also requires regular customer feedback. We define boundary conditions, set up various searches, optimize search strategies and deliver initial interim results which we check with the customer. As with any customer-specific service, the search for personnel is also about maintaining an intensive exchange with the client.
Selection
In a Mile Stone Meeting, we discuss the interim results and “lessons learned” with the customer and incorporate them into all further activities. It is real orienteering run every time, along with setting waypoints, with the customer’s compass and map in hand. The selection process can include different cycles. Our consultant is becoming increasingly close-knit and includes the individual requirements, the existing team, the company environment, the unique selling points of the position even more.
Presentation
The circles are getting closer, the selection smaller, the results concrete. The customer now actively joins the conversation. Often there are initial successes, but also insights, changes, adjustments, and corrections for the search process. We accompany the process and work through the open points in the background.
For a contract to be signed, a lot has to come together. We advise clients not to rely on a single candidate in the final round. We stay on the ball until an optimal solution is found.
Tailor-made with rapid success
Every search is different, even if the job title is identical. Our customers have individual requirements for a “Head Quality”, a specific company environment, different focuses, and other selection criteria. We can offer tailor-made solutions with a clean search approach. So don’t be satisfied with quick fixes from databases when you next cast!