Article Summary- Hiring Without Firing

The author in this article highlights the idea that success in a hiring process
is not an easy job, contrary to common perception. He lists out ten common
pitfalls that can damage the entire activity. Fortunately, he also lists out
certain recommendations that are sure to serve as game changers favoring
the recruiter.
To begin with, the author writes about the reactive approach towards hiring.
Firms often tend to hire in the event of a termination or resignation. This is
detrimental when the company seeks to appoint individuals with similar
attribute to those of the departing employee. Also, the impact is even
worsened when recruiters list down larger than life expectations in their job
descriptions, which are really hard to fulfill. Consequently, the pool of eligible
& suitable candidates gets restricted to a very few candidates, who, in
reality- might not be the best fit for the opportunity.
The author also illustrates the inaccurate evaluation criterion that hampers a
hiring decision. He refers to the ignorance of the situational impact on an
individuals performance. According to him- organizations tend to overlook
the relative predicament under which a performance was rated, and only
consider the absolute terms. To clarify- we say Joe is a good manager; in
reality Joe might be a good process manager but not a very effective people
manager. Moreover, the author mentions that candidates are often believed
to have been true with the information they depict during interviews. Seldom
is it considered that one tends to portray oneself with only likeable
characteristics & conceal the not so appreciable ones. Likewise, references
that individuals submit during the interviews are believed without any
structured validation process. Recruiters tend to believe an unknown
recommenders reference, without putting much effort into verifying what
information has been kept off the records. Thus, very often, a rosier picture
of the candidate is painted for the recruiters- as opposed to the reality.
Human beings are usually prejudiced individuals who appreciate themselves
a lot & rank themselves supreme. Hence, when a candidate manifests
attributes that are similar to that of the recruiter, a bias (Just Like Me)
favoring the candidate is usually formed. Amidst this bias, it may get
challenging to evaluate the candidate in a neutral manner. The author also
talks about stereotyping- based on age, gender or nationality that brings in
a judgment error. Similarly, halo effect- rating an individual highly by

considering only one perspective and ignoring the others- can also be a
game spoiler.
Not so successful hiring decisions are also noticed when executives delegate
the execution of critical steps in the hiring process to their direct reports or
human resource professionals. This majorly occurs due to the unstructured
manner in which these interviews are usually conducted. For a successful
delegation- one has to ascertain whether the employee is well prepared to
handle the interview & is highly motivated for the same. Otherwise,
candidates might be engaged in the interview, but the real ability to perform
will be unknown to the recruiter.
Another key aspect that is overlooked in a hiring process is the candidates
emotional intelligence. Executives tend to evaluate solely based on skill level
attributes ie. hard data, which comprises of educational data, job history
etc. Recruiters usually forget that emotional intelligence- self awareness,
self-regulation, motivation, empathy & social skills are also critical
components that build the ground for a successful professional. The author
finally leaves us with his final word of caution- which is the affinity to
succumb to political pressures. When such influences are catered to- people
often end up making incorrect hiring decisions that do not result in a long
term relationship with the hired employee.