Add potential onto your hiring checklist in 2016

ROBERT TEARLE EXPLAINS HOW TO SPOT POTENTIAL

For those employers in the tech and digital industries, demand for good people far outstrips supply. Growth in these sectors is c. 30% but there's no corresponding increase in the talent pool!

Right now 2016 there is an acute talent shortage.

With employers being smarter about hiring together with this scarcity of genuinely strong candidates - what can you do, if you can't find great people. The answer, is hire for potential.

Hiring for potential will not only help you address your hiring needs but also build a talent base better capable of exploiting change.

The pace of change is so pervasive and fast, people you hire need to be able to adapt, embrace and pursue change - once in the job, they need to have that potential to rise to, and succeed when faced with new challenges. And pro-actively pursue new opportunities. 

So put potential on your hiring checklist.

Assessing potential often means determining someone's raw talents or abilities rather than their mastery of certain skills.

Here's what you should look for:

Chemistry and operational DNA

Companies have a 'chemistry', determined by their values and culture. Some companies value generic skills and 'street smarts' and, in environments such as these, people with the intellect and attitude can excel. On the other hand some companies' values are determined by their core business operations, and often only people with unambiguous expertise in that line of business will be successful.

Change, curiosity and motivations

External candidates who present well and show initiative and considerable enthusiasm are deemed to show potential. However you must look beyond enthusiasm for substance.

Whether an insider or a potential newcomer, you need to look at the individual's past, present and future. Can he or she show a previous record of change, and to what extent can the person demonstrate progression?

If they can, and it's notable, this is a good sign, particularly if the person performed well in very different jobs as opposed to doing well in very similar roles. You may find it useful to plot the major changes or milestones on a chart or diagram so that you can be clear about the extent to which someone has progressed. In some cases this can help bring greater objectivity than perhaps reviewing a CV.

This can also be applied in the context of different environments. When looking at the present, curiosity is an excellent indicator. Someone asking who, what, when and why, and who questions the "status quo" in an appropriate way will always be of value.

Core competencies

Apart from these characteristics, no meaningful appointment would be complete without first looking at the core competencies required of the job, and in turn to what extent the candidates possess them.

In the absence of like for like experience, assessing the person's core competencies is essential, notably communication skills, delivering results orientation, interpersonal skills, use of initiative, planning and organising, analytical thinking, strategic thinking, building relationships, developing others and team work.

A clear understanding of these should enable you to maximise your chances of a successful appointment.

When making people decisions we all want most individuals to do well however, they need to have a desire to make things happen and exploit their potential themselves – you can't give them this.

When assessing potential, make it a collective decision. If looking at newcomers, find out how previous employers saw a candidate's potential when taking up a reference, or alternatively ask to see / review appraisals.

In either case role playing or having someone undertake projects relevant to the new job (complex or straightforward) will help you make smarter decisions. This will help you make better people decisions when assessing potential.

Don't forget, when you appoint someone internally or externally on the basis of potential, there is a greater need to support that person, both from their perspective and your own.

How to spot potential – checklist:

* Look for indicators: curiosity, enthusiasm and motivation.

* Check past career history, look for a previous record of change combined with success.

* Plot progression of the individual and review appraisals, soundings and references.

* Undertake role plays

* Outline a scenario to the candidate and ask them how they would tackle it

* Ask candidates to give presentations outlining how they would approach a project

* Delve into the individual's core competencies to establish strengths and weaknesses.

* Seek other people's opinions