Alex Booth’s Post

Do you really want perfection? There’s a guitarist in a band I like who’s probably one of the most technically proficient people to ever pick up his instrument. You wouldn’t believe what he can do – his fingers move at light speed as he delivers every note with utter perfection. Yet his playing is often criticised as being clinical and emotionless. Back in 1978, Porsche launched its new 928 model, which was intended to replace the venerable 911. More comfortable, better balanced and technically advanced, it was in many ways superior to its predecessor and was even voted European Car of the Year. But customers preferred the 911 despite its flaws and shortcomings. Sometimes, the better something is and the closer it is to perfection, the worse it is. And this applies in the context of executive recruitment. Companies so often seek people who “tick the boxes” of the requirement they’ve specified – the more criteria they satisfy, the better that person is deemed to be. But this often results in them missing out on the right people. Maybe someone who doesn’t know the established process is exactly the person who’ll drive innovation. Perhaps someone who doesn’t have a particular qualification is more capable due to their experience. Executive recruitment isn’t about finding the tick box perfect person but finding the one who offers the most to the hiring company and so will excel in the position. It’s about exploring the nuances of personality, technique and outlook as well as experience and assessing a person as a whole, not just against a list of requirements. This is why I believe, when recruiting at leadership level at least, the tools and systems companies are increasingly using fall short and why AI will have a hard time beating a human. Because imperfection can be preferable to perfection. www.abaexecutive.com #management #humanresources #future #careers #hiringandpromotion #strategy #recruitment #hr #executiverecruitment

What is the best time of the year to recruit? That may seem a dumb question – you recruit whenever you have a need to, especially if the vacancy has been generated by someone leaving your organisation and you need to replace them as soon as possible. But, particularly if your recruitment need is being driven by a medium or long term strategy, it can be possible to control when you hire. And the success of your recruitment process can, in part, depend on the time of year. January is typically a good time – after a bit of time off to unwind, and maybe with some New Year’s resolutions in support, people are often open to the idea of changing roles so the response to adverts and direct approaches is relatively good. This carries on into the spring but things start to slow down as summer arrives and, once the school holidays start, it becomes harder to drive recruitment projects forward – whether its decision makers internally or the population of people you’re trying to appeal to, half of them seem to be absent at any given moment. However, once the schools return and everyone’s pushing on to year end with no bank holidays to distract them, autumn is another good period. Year after year, January to March and September to November have been my busiest times. And then it’s Christmas, which comes with a recommendation from me: do not run leadership level recruitment projects over the festive break but either finish them before or postpone them to January. The risk otherwise is that you spend December gaining momentum, securing buy-in from stakeholders, building interest and generating excitement in the position only for it all to evaporate in a cloud of mince pies. Rebuilding it in January can prove harder than you think. www.abaexecutive.com #management #humanresources #future #careers #hiringandpromotion #strategy #recruitment #hr #executiverecruitment

I was speaking recently with a chief people officer who revealed that almost a third of everyone his business hires leaves within six months of starting. He said he couldn’t understand why – the firm has a positive culture, the senior leadership team is well-respected and the company is growing. What’s not to like? His confusion is compounded by the fact that the recruitment tools his business uses suggest the people hired are good fits. I’m pretty certain this is where the problem lies. Rather than spending time interviewing and speaking with potential hires – he noted that line management don’t spend long meeting people – the majority of his company’s selection process relies on psychometric assessments and online tests. Tests such as these have their place – for example, if I couldn’t choose between two strong people I might look to see what their assessments had to say – so I’m not going to argue they have no value at all. But while using them as a principal basis for making hiring decisions might seem efficient, there is simply no substitute for meeting someone, preferably more than once and by different stakeholders, asking questions, listening to answers and observing how the interviewee acts. And if the feeling’s that line management are not strong interviewers, as my contact believes, the shortcoming should be addressed through training, not testing. I also recently caught up with a different client for whom I recruited someone earlier in the year and who uses online tests in what I would describe as a more appropriate manner. He finds it interesting that, six months in, the new employee is very different in their behaviours and approach to the results of the psychometrics they undertook but that they are proving themselves to be a valuable addition to the senior leadership team nonetheless. Maybe I should introduce my two clients to each other? www.abaexecutive.com #management #humanresources #future #careers #hiringandpromotion #strategy #recruitment #hr #executiverecruitment

When something goes wrong, it can often be hard to understand why. And, unless the cause has been identified and resolved, the risk remains that the next attempt goes equally badly. I’ve spoken with a number of people recently who have been part of executive recruitment projects that have failed to result in a hire. Both line managers and HR leaders, both using their own in-house talent teams and external recruitment providers, they faced the prospect of expending more time and money only to end up in the same position a number of weeks down the line. In one case, my contact had been recruiting for six months and had received three shortlists, none of which contained anyone suitable for interview. I’ve been working with these people to identify what has happened. Often, of course, there has not been one issue but a combination of factors affecting their projects that span everything from process to remuneration and the nature of the role itself. But once this has been analysed and established, I’ve been able to recommend appropriate solutions to get their projects back on track. If you find yourself in a similar situation, please let me know – I’d be happy to help. www.abaexecutive.com #management #humanresources #future #careers #hiringandpromotion #strategy #recruitment #hr #executiverecruitment

Unsurprisingly, I read a lot of CVs, some of which are much better than others. So how should a senior leader, director or executive write theirs? Here are a few tips. • Focus on accomplishments rather than responsibilities. This is the most important aspect of any CV and the trap many people fall into. A CV is about what a person has done, not the nature of a business or the purpose of a role, so write about the difference you made and the achievements you secured, providing evidence and statistics to quantify it. For example, don’t write “as Sales Director, I was responsible for sales” because that’s self-evident but, instead, write “as Sales Director, I grew sales by 20%” and then explain how you did it. It’s your track record and capabilities that will differentiate you. • Whether it’s a recruiter with a full inbox or a CEO with a full schedule, you have to presume the first read of your CV will be cursory. Big blocks of text are hard to read but an eye can quickly skip down a list of bullet points and easily absorb the key facts. Once something has caught their attention, they’ll read the detail. You could use bold type in a similar way. • CVs can be any length (within reason) but the first page is the most important. It must hit the reader with what’s most relevant and impressive to encourage them to keep reading. Details of an education from twenty years ago do not belong on the first page of your CV, for example, and if you decide to write a personal statement, keep it short. • CVs are increasingly being designed with graphics, bright colours, boxes, columns and all manner of clever layouts. Yes, this helps a CV stand out but its detrimental to your cause if this makes it hard to read and absorb the information it contains. Be creative if you like but prioritise function over form. www.abaexecutive.com #management #humanresources #future #careers #hiringandpromotion #strategy #recruitment #hr #executiverecruitment

Over the weekend, I watched a film called “Air”. If you’re not familiar with it, it tells the story of how Nike courted the then rookie basketball player Michael Jordan, hoping to secure his endorsement. If you plan on watching it (and somehow don’t know the outcome), spoiler alert for the following. Nike took the decision to spend its entire $250,000 budget on Jordan. Controversially for 1984, they also gave him a percentage of every Air Jordan shoe sold. It was a huge gamble but it paid off: against an expectation of $3 million, Nike earned $162 million from Air Jordan in the first year and the brand has become a steady source of income since. Not every investment works out like this. But one thing’s for certain – if you don’t invest then there’s no chance of reaping a return. I understand that companies don’t have bottomless pockets and that HR departments create salary bandings for a reason. However, it always surprises me when a business won’t be flexible when negotiating with their chosen person for an executive level role, especially when it’s over just a couple of thousand pounds. What if this person is the Michael Jordan of sales or finance? What if their input, ideas and abilities are the difference that doubles revenue or halves costs? If there’s even a chance of this, the small amount extra the company needs to pay to secure them is insignificant. www.abaexecutive.com #management #humanresources #future #careers #hiringandpromotion #strategy #recruitment #hr #executiverecruitment

A few days ago, I spoke with a senior business leader who’s seeking a new role. He told me he has already pursued an opportunity with a well-known international firm, the recruitment process involving numerous rounds of interviews with different stakeholders and a presentation to the executive team. The last thing the business said was they’d contact him once they’d made their final decision. But, despite chasing several times, he never heard from them again. Zero, zip, zilch, nada, nothing. The term he used to describe the situation is unfortunately one that’s entered the common vernacular: he’s been “ghosted”. It’s something that’s happening ever more frequently and there’s simply no excuse for it. If a hiring firm’s processes are letting something like this slip then they’re not fit for purpose. If a company’s culture says this sort of thing is acceptable then it’s failing. At the end of any recruitment exercise, more people are unsuccessful than successful – only one person can be appointed after all. So not only should passing on negative outcomes be part of established process but businesses should be good at it given the practice they should be getting. Disappointed maybe but no-one’s going to be angry. In business, people are used to receiving bad news – the sale that wasn’t completed, the business plan that wasn’t approved, the supplier order that wasn’t fulfilled on time, it happens all the time. As long as they’re informed of the situation so that actions can be taken and lessons can be learned, they’ll move on. It surprises me that companies who “ghost” don’t realise the effect it has on their brands. Word gets around so wouldn’t it be better if people were talking about how a business communicated in a timely fashion, was transparent and passed on feedback and explanation regardless of the outcome rather than about how it ignores people? If you’ve ever been “ghosted”, maybe the silver lining is you found out how useless that company is without ever having to work for it. www.abaexecutive.com #management #humanresources #future #careers #hiringandpromotion #strategy #recruitment #hr #executiverecruitment

Back at the start of my career, I was sent on a course. Over three days, I sat through lectures and took part in exercises (that included building towers of Lego for some reason) so I could be taught how to innovate. What I learned was that it cannot be taught – you either have the ability to innovate or you don’t. Twenty five years later, I have a different opinion: anyone can innovate provided they’re given the environment in which to do so. I work for myself. If I hear of a new technique or tool, I’m free to investigate and adopt should it offer an improvement. Similarly, if a project requires a different approach to any I’ve pursued before, I’m free to modify or replace what I’ve traditionally done to ensure a successful outcome. This isn’t just one of the perks of running your own business but something that makes smaller companies agile and, often, successful. But this often isn’t the case in larger firms. With hundreds or thousands of employees, it’s necessary for them to lay down rules and processes if they’re to ensure compliance with regulation, the achievement of metrics and avoid management chaos. Unfortunately, this can stifle innovation – if there’s seen to be only one way of doing things or if it’s perceived that challenging the status quo is difficult or unwanted, people will keep quiet even if they have ideas. Here’s an example. A few years ago I supported a large international executive recruitment firm in the delivery of a complex assignment. I soon identified one of the reasons why they were struggling so suggested an alternative. The response was “if we do that, we’ll have to go through the approvals process again so we’ll keep doing what we’re doing, thanks.” In other words, it was thought better to proceed with one arm tied behind their backs than to innovate. Innovation must be encouraged and supported, not suppressed by process. www.abaexecutive.com #management #humanresources #future #careers #hiringandpromotion #strategy #recruitment #hr #executiverecruitment

Imagine you’re looking to make a large, important purchase – let’s say it’s a car. You visit a number of manufacturers’ websites to see what might take your fancy. The websites are well designed, colourful and present the different brands, their vehicles and the detail you need in an appealing manner. Having chosen a make and model, you request a brochure (physical or electronic) that provides the vehicle’s full specification and options alongside well-crafted copy and gorgeously shot photos. From holiday brochures and estate agents’ property listings to university prospectuses and more, a huge amount of effort goes into presenting products and services in a format that both contains sufficient detail and is visually attractive. It’s fundamental sales and marketing practice – draw potential purchasers in and then provide them with the data on which to make informed decisions. So why do recruitment consultants and internal talent teams think that one side of poorly written A4 is sufficient when presenting roles? Alongside your family, house and health, your job is almost certainly one of the most important things in your life so changing roles or companies is a big decision. You need detail, background, figures, evidence and more to make it, wrapped up in a presentation that gives you confidence in the hiring business, its brand and values. Recruiters all too frequently forget they work in sales to a far greater extent than in HR. And they forget that, regardless of the economic situation, people seeking roles are buyers, not “candidates”. www.abaexecutive.com #management #humanresources #future #careers #hiringandpromotion #strategy #recruitment #hr #executiverecruitment