Hiring well isn’t magic, it’s about systems

In the early days of working in recruitment, I sat across from dozens of hiring managers working in scale-ups and corporates who all shared a version of: “Hiring is really hard”. What I think they meant was that hiring well is really hard. At each stage of the process, each side is putting its best foot forward, hoping to impress the other and hoping that it makes the “right decision.” 

And with shrinking budgets, the pressure to “get it right” every time remains top of mind. The result? Even if there is an ambition for inclusive hiring practices or hiring more diverse staff, we end up “doing things the way we always have done”. 

Having said that, there is the other story: the story of the companies that continue to hire diversely, across departments and levels of seniority, and do it well. 

My prediction is that in the workforce of the future, these are the companies that win.

What contributes to the hiring super-power?

When I started supporting companies with hiring, as well as when I was the hiring manager, a resource I leaned on was “Who” by Geoff Smart and Randy Street. The book outlines a very clear framework for hiring, that de-emphasizes “gut-feel” and focuses on scoping your needs, sourcing candidates, actively hiring, and selling. When it comes to tapping into the super-power of the companies who have done inclusive recruiting well, I like to focus on scoping needs, and sourcing. 

1. Scoping your needs, AKA: Don’t replicate yourself. Check for what you actually need. Even better if what you need is outcomes-based, which can help you attract people with transferable skills who wouldn’t otherwise self-select for the role
   
   Check for what you actually need. Even better if what you need is outcomes-based, which can help you attract people with transferable skills who wouldn’t otherwise self-select for the role
   
   
   

2. Sourcing, AKA: The secret sauce is how you source. If you want to hire people who don’t reflect your immediate network, you will need to hire beyond your immediate network. Countless times, I’ve heard companies asking, “How do we find these diverse people? Simply? You find them outside of spaces that look like yours. If you’re always recruiting from 1 university or the alumni from the same 3 consulting companies, you are only amplifying the homogeneous bubble. 

So, what stands in the way of companies harnessing these superpowers?

Honestly, it’s easier to hire whom you’ve always hired, or who feels familiar. When you rely on pattern-matching, you know what outcome you’re going to get. 

• Engineers from [insert popular university here] 

• Ex-Big Tech employees

• MBA graduates from a top Business School

Ironically, these patterns are meant to give the best candidates. Predictably. And they often do, but frankly, there aren’t enough engineers from NTNU, former employees from big tech, or MBA graduates to scale companies. Thankfully, though, talent isn’t only locked in those institutions. As Leslie Cornfeld  reminds us, “Talent is equally distributed around the world, opportunity is not”. 

So, what’s the answer?

Hiring processes that emphasise outcomes, and using technology and tools that help recruiters and hiring managers to tap into new networks and communities they often overlook. 

Even though it’s not as sexy as being a literal superhero, being systematic and transparent in how you recruit is what will help you build a kick-ass team.