Before you rush to post that opening think through exactly what the job entails. Not what you think it involves. Not what the job description you used last year says. Go find out what the person who does the work actually does.
More than a few jobs have changed and are changing as a result of the COVID business shutdowns. Others always involved different tasks and responsibilities than what those standardized job descriptions list.
You may just be surprised to discover that the most important part of the admin job you need to fill is negotiating with other executives and their admins. Where the job description you have lists a variety of secretarial skills — all of which are essential — what you also need is someone who’s a top notch office diplomat.
That disconnect between what even bosses they think the need and what a job actually entails is why Zoe Jervier Hewitt, talent partner at the global VC startup firm EQT Ventures, says, “It might sound sort of obvious, but you would be surprised at how many founders really skip that preparation part and just go straight to market to start interviewing.”
If you’re thinking that job analysis is necessary step only in the startup world, consider how long it’s been since your job descriptions were first drafted. As companies grow and change, so do the jobs. And so do the skills and competencies needed to do the job.
Jervier Hewitt works with the founders of EQT’s portfolio companies to help them define and describe, not just the duties of a job, but the type of person who will best fill it. “What I try to get founders to focus on more is the type of personality that person has,” she explains, “And trying to move beyond the confidence that’s coming across in the interview to the actual competence.”
She does this by getting the executives she works with to develop a scorecard of sorts to keep them on track and avoid being swayed by the school a candidate attended or the companies they worked for or “other illustrious things on their CV.”
Her other tool is the structured interview. “Unstructured interviews are just the worst when trying to make predictive decisions,” says Jervier Hewitt. Her hiring managers have specific questions to elicit information relevant to the job analysis done at the outset of the search. How a candidate answers makes for better hiring decisions, the way other data helps leaders make better business decisions.
“Most people like to believe they are a really good judge of talent and of character, so I think what I’m trying to challenge is that there is data and there is information that would help hiring decisions. You just have to make the conscious effort to go outside of yourself to go and seek it.”
This where we at Green Key Resources make a difference.
We go beyond the resume and CV to identify candidates who are a good fit with your culture, your way of working. Whether we’re helping you find an admin or a CIO, we know the job is more than answering phones or keeping the computers running.
Having the right skills and the background is only part of candidate sourcing. We go the next step to bring you candidates who take the initiative, who are committed to getting the job done and who will be the kind of asset that will make you and your company shine.
So don’t rush out to post that old job description. Call us first at 212.683.1988. Talk with our recruiting consultants who will work with you to make sure who you hire is the best talent and the best person for the job.
Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash
