On the job training

Occasionally I will share a personal business experience that gives me an opportunity to think things through. This is one of those occasions.

One of my clients has a difficult vacancy to fill, from many perspectives, not the least of which is a very tight recruiting budget. However, we were fortunate and able to identify a candidate who met all the criteria, within the limited budget.

 Unfortunately, as we learned later, the interview with the hiring manager did not go well and the candidate developed a story that he did not want the job because of where it was located. Of course, this matter was vetted in the selection process so I knew it was not the reason for their objection and I told the client that the proffered reason was a red herring. Nevertheless, the client was upset because they felt the recruiter had wasted time and money bringing in a prospect that did not what to work where the business was located.

Upon further review, it became apparent that the problem was not the location of the business but, how the hiring manager had handled the interview with the candidate. However, we had only one clear example of the hiring manager’s missteps. So my challenge was to adjust the client’s position about the recruiter and convince the client that the problem lie somewhere else, without throwing the hiring manager under the bus. And to do so, with out appearing to be self-serving.

It is too early to tell if I accomplished my objectives.  However, this experience is a good illustration of how the wrong information delivered at the right time can make things much worse than they need to be. It also illustrates how important it is to be able to persuade and communicate effectively under pressure. Valuable skills that I continue to improve upon.

By Michael Salisbury www.hralliance.biz