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Hiring Executives

Onboarding: The Next Phases

Hiring Executives

onboarding executives, hiring executives, successful hiringIn a previous blog, I addressed the front end/pre-hiring phase of the onboarding process and in this blog, I would like to share some of my thoughts regarding three additional aspects that are essential to a successful onboarding experience.

Although often not considered part of onboarding, the “job offering” process is, from our perspective, a very important phase of the onboarding experience. All elements of the job offer provide the new employee with a set of impressions regarding the ways of the organization that make an impression and have a lasting effect. Some key questions and activities to reflect upon, which require answers and strategy, are—who communicates to the candidate that he or she has been selected for the job? What is the message that needs to be conveyed? How long after the final interview with the candidate should a call be made? Who makes the offer—is it the CEO, the CPO, or the SVP of Talent Acquisition? Who negotiates the compensation package? Who writes the offer letter and what is its content and tone? Each one of these decisions and subsequent actions convey an implicit message. Many companies fail to recognize this and what impression that leaves or is thought about from the perspective of the candidate/future executive. And, at times, the message that the organization is sending may not be consistent with the organization’s brand, image, values, and culture—both explicit and implicit. Read More

Onboarding: “The First Phase”

Hiring Executives

onboarding senior level executives, execuquest, executive assessmentsOnboarding is a multiphase process that organizations use to assimilate newly hired employees into the organization’s culture—with the ultimate goal of retaining them and making them valuable contributors.

Onboarding for senior level executives begins much sooner than most people assume. The process is typically thought to start only after the candidate is hired. However, an effective onboarding program actually starts the moment the candidate is first contacted and continues throughout the entire hiring process and up to a year beyond the hire date.

Initial Contact

Who makes the first call to the candidate? Is it the recruiter from the hiring agency or an HR manager within the organization? Whoever makes the initial contact, it’s important that they convey the organization’s “message” or “brand” in a positive way and that it’s consistent with the organizational culture and environment. After the initial contact, then what is the protocol? Who invites the candidate for an interview and at what level are they? Is it the agency recruiter or the organization’s Chief People Officer? Each communication and interaction with the candidate must be considered a unique and important opportunity to introduce the vision, goals, aspirations, and core values of the organization. Read More

Sabotaging the Success of a New Hire

Hiring Executives

sabotaging new hire, executive coaching orange county, execuquestHiring managers in organizations may recruit talent based upon criteria that often does not represent the reality of the organization and can actually sabotage the success of a new employee.

Most companies develop a list of success factors or aspiring values which drive the decision making during the selection process. When assessing talent for our client organizations, we insist upon spending time understanding and, in some ways, gauging the environment in which the new hire is going to be working. In doing so, we can evaluate the consistency between what the Talent Acquisition Function and/or Hiring Manager is telling us and the fundamental requirements that the candidate needs to have in order to be successful in the company and in their job. Often, we have found that this criteria is based upon a theoretical model and not upon what is actually valued and observed in the company or within a given department or group. We hire, based upon what business theorist, Chris Argyris, describes as, “the espoused theory versus the theory in use.” This subtle but very significant difference has a great impact upon the success or failure of the new hire. Read More

The Importance of a Pre-hire Discussion

Hiring Executives

executive meeting, pre-hire discussion, execuquestHiring senior level executives can be a difficult and labor-intensive undertaking. However, there are some actions you can take to guide you in the decision-making process. One course of action is to conduct a pre-hire assessment and another is to have a pre-hire discussion.

How can hiring executives determine a candidate’s strengths and potential growth opportunities? How can they come to an informed and sound decision about a candidate if all the interviewers don’t sit down together and discuss the interviews? A meeting or conference call of all the interviewers to discuss the candidates can help hiring executives make a more confident decision about who to hire—and this pre-hire discussion can be divided into two different but equally important parts. Read More

Hiring Senior Executive Level Talent Responsibly

Hiring Executives

Hiring Senior Executive Level Talent, execuquest, pre-hire assessmentsHiring executives, whether they are HR managers or senior level leaders, have the responsibility to “hire responsibly.” What do I mean by “hiring responsibly?” Hiring executives tend to focus more upon the effort of finding candidates and then selecting the one that best meets the company’s success criteria. Most often, the criteria is based upon six factors; job experience, experience within the industry, role competency, diversity, cultural fit, and leadership potential. The first four of these factors are easy to assess but not so for the last two—cultural fitness and leadership.

First, let’s take a look at cultural fitness. Most often, it is assumed that the company has a monolithic culture with a set of defined values, shared vision, common goals, and rituals. This assumption is based upon a very broad and macro view of the organization. However, as we take a more granular view, we start to discover subcultures that are quite different from each other and where people behave differently and have very different beliefs. This invites the questions: What subculture is the candidate being hired into? What is its texture? What is its cadence? What are the appropriate and inappropriate behaviors within this subculture? What rituals do they have? What is its history? What is being expected from new employees in order for them be accepted and embraced? What are the sensitivities of the group’s dynamic? As we can see, there is more than a broad definition of the organization’s culture that contributes in a more determinate way to the success and longevity of new employees. Read More