Hiring | You’re Doing it Wrong
This is the second (third in some cases) time I’ve seen your startup’s or distributed company’s posting for a Marketing Stuff Ninja and Communications Rockstar and you aren’t adding another position.
What’s that mean?
That means that you sent this candidate a rejection letter or maybe you even conducted a brief 10-minute “getting-to-know-you” interview first, and then you decided that the candidate wasn’t the right fit for the job. Maybe the candidate didn’t have the ideal number of years of experience, maybe the candidate mentioned not loving the job title, maybe the candidate didn’t have experience with a specific marketing automation platform
so off the candidate went (along with the candidate’s resume) to the “No” stack.
Perhaps you crunched the numbers and used the quantitative tools in Workable or a similar HR/recruiting tool.
What you failed to notice, however, is that this candidate is actually a living, breathing human being. I am smart and articulate, I dare to put myself out there and even make mistakes in the process, I cofounded my own startup, I volunteer as a branding and marketing consultant for small businesses and startups who can’t afford to hire me, I rescue huskies, and I try — with all I’ve got — to make the world a better place for all of us (and for women in tech, especially!).
And if you would’ve been looking — not for candidates, but — for people who are adaptable and love to learn, who are collaborative and follow-up, who strive to make the world better through their words and deeds, then you wouldn’t be posting that job opening again.
Instead,
you would’ve hired a relentless champion for your brand and you’d be growing already.
It’s time to shift the focus away from quantitative data and candidates, and back on qualitative data and people.
After all, you think your brand’s success is in the story it tells, so why would a person’s success be in the data?
💚 Show a little love. Find out more about Michelle and view samples of her work at michellesander.com.
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