HR Perspective

When it comes to hiring, everyone is looking for the applicant with the most experience and the highest education, right? Is that how you find the best person for the job? That’s not always the case. There is so much more to a person than what is on their resume. Finding out what a candidate does in their spare time is a window into their life outside of work.

Years ago, when I was looking at my career path and deciding on my next chapter, I asked myself three questions, “What do you like? What drives you? How can you help the community?” The answer I came up with sounded a little crazy, but I sat with it. I love puzzles, people, and being of service. How do you build that into a job?

I took a leap and applied for a job I knew in my heart I could do but didn’t have the job experience. Someone saw past my resume and gave me the opportunity to prove myself, even though I had never been a recruiter. I found the job that met all my answers—recruiting! In my ten years as the City of Houston’s Executive Recruiter, I solved puzzles with people—finding the right person and fitting them to the right job. Making job offers makes their day and as a bonus, makes my day, too. My position also allows me to help my community, by extension to serve the residents of Houston.

But what if no one had taken that chance? What if my resume had been reviewed and dismissed for not having the right experience? When we look beyond experience and education and get to know the people behind the resume, we have more success filling the positions within our organizations with those dedicated to the mission and passionate about the job.

How do you look past the resume? You must read the experience and relate it to the position you must fill. For example, if someone loves to fish, we know they are probably patient. If someone has worked in a hospital, they are most likely able to handle a stressful environment or a fast-paced position. Anyone who has worked in education in a large city understands working with a diverse population. These are the X-factor skills that are invaluable and not easily taught. No candidate is perfect—but finding someone that fits within the culture and can bring those X-factor skills to your office is the ultimate goal.

The next time you hire, try to focus beyond the nuts and bolts of the position. Take a step back and ask yourself – what team characteristics are you missing? Do you need someone that is bubbly and outgoing or someone that can go with the flow? Do you need a leader or someone new to the game looking to learn? All these questions will pull you out of the tunnel vision of finding the A+ person that can do everything on day one. Sometimes they are not a fit within the current culture, or maybe they won’t last more than six months. Building a team of loyal employees takes time, and you want them to stick around for a while.

A friend once described the beginning of a new relationship as the “I’m still sending my representative” phase, meaning she was still doing and saying everything she perceived as right to the other person. I’ve compared that over the years to resumes and interviews. If we aren’t being our true selves, then they will be expecting the false persona daily. The same goes for an organization. Be honest. If you want that from a candidate, you must give them the same.

When it comes to hiring the best person for the job, that person might not always have the best experience or the highest degree. They might be the person who is a few minutes late but makes the panel laugh and feel comfortable. They might have a long resume, but experience in a number of fields that leads them to this job interview right on time.

Hiring is a necessary process but not something that should be seen as a chore. Look at it as opening the door to possibilities. Look beyond someone’s resume or interview to the whole person—you’ll be surprised how many gems are waiting. ◆