How Recruiting Staff Can Keep You On Top of Your Game

I’ve been spending the last few weeks wrapped up in the recruitment process for our agency. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some interesting, creative, smart, insightful, ambitious, lazy and over-zealous people who have been sharing the intimate details of their professional lives in an attempt to land a new job. As a hiring manager, the challenge isn’t just to simply find the right candidate. It’s also about making sure you’re still on top of your game!

The hiring process has been stimulating, tiring, entertaining and thought-provoking all at once. The search for the right people – not just to fill the role on offer but to fit into the culture we’re trying to create in our new agency is very challenging. The rewards are great though. When you find that special person who brings skill, experience and that X factor to the role, it’s a very satisfying experience.

I’ve been intrigued with the different levels of knowledge and experience that are represented in the various people I’ve interviewed. Often their resumes are quite dissimilar to mine but still highly relevant for the roles I’m trying to fill. Content marketing has a very wide funnel at the top so candidates come from many walks of life. It’s a game of joining the dots and trying to assess people on their potential rather than just their current aptitude.

I also love this process because it helps me critique my own skills and experience. The process of meeting talented and skilled practitioners in my industry provides a benchmark of the skills, attitudes and knowledge that are coming through from the next generation of leaders, and acts as a checkpoint for my own career. It allows me to question whether my knowledge and skills are up-to-date and relevant for today’s ever-changing world of content marketing. Put more simply, it allows me to ask the question…

“Would I employ myself for the role I occupy right now?”

It can be a challenging question to ask. You have to be 100% honest with yourself and be willing to accept the truth of your situation.

I presume most of us would consider this a rhetorical question. Of course I would employ myself for my own role. I’ve earned it. I’m the most qualified. I’ve worked my way up the ranks and deserve to be where I am. I started our business so who else is better suited to run it? Whatever your defence, it is no doubt a solid defence.

But that doesn’t answer the other, more important question: Am I the most skilled, relevant and knowledgeable person for my role today? What are the skills that I don’t have that others do? What is the next generation of (insert your role here) learning and practicing that is beyond my experience? What aspects of my role or industry am I not up-to-date on? What are the emerging gaps in my knowledge compared to the candidates I interview for more junior roles? All these questions (and more) can help managers assess their own skill sets and professional knowledge and drive better performance – IF you’re prepared to answer honestly!

This isn’t an exercise in convincing yourself you should hang up your boots. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. It’s an exercise in sharpening your skills and staying fresh. It’s an exercise in proactive self-assessment and development.

I do it regularly. Asking myself this question helps me identify the aspects of my role where I need to pay more attention. It helps me find ways to stay relevant in my job and in my industry which seems to evolve every day; new technologies, new methodologies, new platforms and processes are always emerging. Often we look to industry publications, conferences and content updates to help us stay abreast of the latest and greatest in our professions. But why not look to the candidates you interview and gather from them the insights and ideas you need to stay fresh? Interrogate their experiences and skills and consider what you can brush up on or develop in order to maintain your currency in the marketplace.

And if you ever feel yourself getting comfortable in your role, ask yourself the question…

“Would I employ myself for the role I occupy right now?”

Onwards an upwards!