De Novo HR Solutions

Perfect Fit, Wrong Expectations. Regardless of how long it takes to hire someone, it all comes down to finding the right fit. BUT, are we clear on - the right fit for WHAT? Both the candidate and the hiring manager are usually focused on whether the candidate’s experience aligns with the job requirements. And, traditionally at the end of the interview we try to understand if the candidate is the right fit for the job, company, culture or team. And we wouldn't be wrong. However, many hiring managers overlook a key factor: is the candidate a good fit for the manager’s unique style and expectations? Consciously or not, every manager envisions their employees handling tasks in a way that aligns with their own approach to work. Yet, these nuanced expectations around work style and interaction are rarely communicated, leaving a gap in understanding that can impact team dynamics and long-term success.

Why do some initiatives fail? Discover what Elements factor into the Corporate Evolution and how do they impact what we do.

Sharing some insight into what lessons modern companies can take away from kingdoms past. #lessonslearned

The term "surviving the pandemic" has been used in many ways, referring to many things. Health - be it mental of physical. Leisure - sudden availability or lack thereof. Work - overwhelming, exhausting, and stressful, yet still vital for all. And so, we shoved as much of it as possible like cotton candy, knowing that it could disappear with a drop in a share price at any moment, hoping to survive, sustain, maintain and retain. Fortunately, like the aforementioned cotton candy, pandemic was gone, leaving us to face new challenges and opportunities. The world has changed - noticeably in some ways, unnoticeably in many. And while we await the revelation of the unnoticed, we contemplate what to do with what we do know. The way we live our day-to-day lives - driving, shopping, eating out - has not changed much from pre-pandemic times. The way we work on the other hand, well, yes indeed. To that end, employers and employees must adjust and adapt in order to succeed. Following this post, I’ll be sharing bite-sized insights into each challenge and opportunity aiming to spark a thought or two. While this article will discuss the post-pandemic hiring challenges and opportunities from the employer’s point of view, I’d like to remind us that these challenges and opportunities will be faced and acted upon by us - the employees - the ones hired to collaborate, manage, lead, and, more specifically, the ones hired to hire. I say this in the hope that we view these challenges as something shared, something we collectively strive to overcome, and as a chance to improve the place (or reality) to which we all dedicate at least one-third of our day.

Challenge #1 (post-pandemic hiring) https://lnkd.in/gc_BhDpN We’re taking the “savvy” out of “tech,” because now it is implicit. To successfully operate in the new remote or hybrid environment, candidates are expected to be proficient in using remote working tools and other software, just as they would be in making a phone call or sending an email. Analyzing, project management, data storage, communication, information gathering, hiring, and even firing are all done through various digital solutions. These tech skills have become a “given” expectation, but not all candidates possess them. As a result, companies are experiencing a shortage of capable applicants.

Opportunity #1 (post-pandemic hiring) https://lnkd.in/gc_BhDpN The first map of the world is considered to have been created around 600 B.C., providing people with a visual representation of what the world looked like at that time and making it a little more accessible. Over the next 2.5 millennia, with the invention of land vehicles, watercraft, aircraft, spacecraft, and Google Maps, not only did the world become considerably more accessible, but it also appeared perceptibly smaller. And now, with the help of portable technology, we can cross thousands of miles in a matter of seconds. I prefer the term “telecommuting” because it evokes a sense of science fiction, paralleling the idea of portals transporting us from one place to another instantly. Telecommuting technology has not only changed the rules of the employment game by making work flexible, but it has also made the world more intimate and encouraged a more open-minded, diverse, and inclusive global perspective. In the global economy, companies are no longer confined by geography, and talent knows no borders. Talent is out there; excuses are not! We should stop digging deeper in the same place and instead dig wider.

Challenge #2 (post-pandemic hiring) https://lnkd.in/gc_BhDpN About 8 years ago I was flying from Toronto to Ottawa on a business trip. Upon our landing the pilot came over the intercom and said, “Please be careful when opening the overhead compartments to get your luggage, because shift happens.” Unnoticeable at first, this shift has also occurred in people’s priorities. By now we know the most common of them – a commitment to a more realistic work-life balance, realistic job security and flexibility. And just like employees need to adapt to the new tech skills requirements, employers need to adapt their recruitment strategy, and on a larger scale, their company culture to these priorities. Not that candidates (and not employers) are now in control of the conversation. But a shimmering glimpse of balance has been sighted here and there.

Opportunity #2 (post-pandemic hiring) https://lnkd.in/gc_BhDpN I’ve mentioned that one of the challenges companies are facing today lies in the shift of people’s priorities, and one of the opportunities is the flexibility of telecommuting. But what if telecommuting is not an option? There is plenty of work requiring us to be on-site. If not all week, then at least several days. How do we find the right fit? Reevaluating our hiring strategy would be a step forward. We tend to operate based on the same principles and protocols we have relied on for years or even decades, while the world around us changes and evolves. Hence, a proper and regular diagnostic of our hiring strategy is a requirement we all must adopt.   If we can’t find a candidate within our geography and 100% remote work is not an option, what then? I faced the same challenge about a year ago when a client of mine, located in a very remote region of Canada, was struggling to fill full-time on-site positions. “No one wants to work in a remote location,” they told me. And they were partly right. No one in that region or even the province was interested in this small community. So, I drove for over 5 hours to the location to see it for myself. And yes, the location was remote, the community was small, and the closest Starbucks was 1:45 away, with Tim Hortons being 1:30 minutes away.   Now we can either accept that and move on to changing the unfillable position to something more hireable in the region or we can change our thinking and add a pinch of creativity. The location might be remote, but it is beautiful. The community might be small, but it is cozy, comfortable, and inviting. Most importantly, it is very affordable. You might not have easy access to franchise coffee, but with affordable living, you might invest in a decent coffee maker.   Another compelling factor I observed was the company culture. In this remote region and small community, the employee interactions resembled a family dynamic rather than the typical 9-to-5 workplace environment. If we have learned anything from personality assessments, it’s that we should not judge the world by our own yardstick.   So, I used these attractive features to target candidates living in big cities across the country. And what do you know? It turned out there are plenty of candidates who are tired of the fast-paced city life and want to escape the rat race to live in a quaint and affordable community. You can always find the right candidate with the right incentives (which might not even involve cost) by thinking outside the old box. In the post-pandemic world, finding the right fit involves finding the right glove.

Challenge #3 (post-pandemic hiring) https://lnkd.in/gc_BhDpN It’s curious how technology, as advanced as it is today, enhances many of our abilities while simultaneously limiting others. Interviewing a candidate for a role and determining if they are the right fit involves many aspects that can be summarized under the WHAT and the HOW. Neither can be evaluated 100% during the interview (virtual or otherwise), and further observation is required to validate the choice during the first year of employment. However, in a virtual interview, employers are more likely to assess the level of the WHAT— the candidate’s ability to deliver on objectives based on their technical know-how, expertise, and past experience—than the level of the HOW, which includes their emotional intelligence, communication skills, and behaviors. Over the years, leaders and talent management professionals have developed a sixth sense for identifying these skills, a process that is now hindered by the two-dimensional virtual environment.

Opportunity #3 (post-pandemic hiring) https://lnkd.in/gc_BhDpN Your eyes are getting blurry, your hand is cramping, and you’re about to give up. You have been reviewing a plethora of resumes. Finally, it pays off. Oh, the joy of finding “the one” on paper! You quickly book the interview, hoping they are as good in person as they are on paper. And that’s where it hits you: It is a virtual interview. We know that an individual’s behaviors are as important as their technical know-how. To foster a high-performance culture, companies seek individuals who not only achieve their set objectives but do so in the right way. Emotional intelligence, communication skills, and behaviors matter more than ever in the post-pandemic environment. While a virtual interview might limit some of the interviewer’s senses for evaluating behaviors, there are solutions to help determine if the candidate is compatible with the company culture and can contribute positively to the workplace environment and long-term success. By involving team members in virtual interviews, organizations can benefit from a more thorough and balanced assessment of candidates, an enhanced candidate experience, and stronger team cohesion. In simple terms, a panel interview (or a series of interviews with different members of the team or extended team) can offer diverse perspectives, enhance the accuracy of the evaluation, determine cultural fit, reduce bias, and increase team buy-in. This, in turn, will increase team members’ investment in the hiring process and consequently their morale.