Hiring: The Rule of Thirds

Consider it a momentary professional indiscretion but this is the only time I have written about the subject of hiring; it is also, likely, the last.

Successes few, my failures loom large.

Were I to type these words from a safe distance, say, from a cork-lined office suite operating as a high paid consultant, I would sling conjecture with indiscriminate zeal. However, as a practicing employer, much like a practicing physician, ours is a working lab: we're able to test every hypothesis on the crucible of everyday experience (where mere theories can easily dissolve in actual practice, which is convenient because often you are boiling your own crow).

And despite hundreds, if not thousands, of business books, articles and websites glutted with hiring advice, very little seems practical enough to become an applied science. (To be truly constructive, most business books should be reduced to a simple essay format and the remainder used for kindling).

Face it: hiring is, at times, a dreadful process for interviewee and interviewer alike. Once you've made it past the loathsome vetting process, combing through piteous curriculum vitae sated with hyperbole (monotonous dissertations thinly disguised as resumes), you embark upon the near-impossible task of determining someones worth and work based on the inelegant interview. Interviews are the business-world's first dance on a blind date. Awkward and stilted, both parties feign a competence beyond their grasp, size each other up indeterminably and poke for vulnerabilities while choking on what they shouldn't say or dare ask. Multiple interviews, in different environments and with more than one assessor, helps redeem some semblance of humanity in the maladroit and arcane process but it's still a graceless courtship.

After years of fumbling my way through the process, I discovered  a simple criteria for determining a candidates fit, what I call the Rule of Thirds, I look for three qualities:

• 1/3rd strong ambition/work ethic
• 1/3rd competency and skill
• 1/3rd culturally fit

Not rocket science. In fact, taken by themselves, each specification is obvious to the point of insult: We all look for candidates who have a strong work ethic, the baseline for employment is having the skill to do the job well, and today's corporate climate puts a profound emphasis on cultural fit. But it's the combination of all three that became the proper plumb line for measuring a candidates worth. If the applicant doesn't measure up to each of the three criterion in the formula, they are the wrong candidate. Any undue emphasis on one single qualification tips the balance. Hiring someone whose previous work history conveys longevity but overlooking whether they will fit into your culture means you could live with an awkward decision for a very long time. Or, becoming enchanted by a candidates impeccable skill can eclipse the fact that the candidate might not even show up to put that stellar ability to work.

The rule of thirds constitutes a hiring principle for the same reason that it remains a photography principle: when looking for the ideal candidate, your job is to ascertain and align the right information into separate grids resulting in one complete composite. This allows you to concentrate on each section but ensures you won't lose focus on the big picture.

This small template is not foolproof. It won't prevent you (or me) from making the mistake of hiring the wrong person because the psychology involved is far too labyrinth and the process somewhat disingenuous, but it's the closest framework for evaluation that I've yet discovered.

Comments

[jen]

Great stuff, Bobby. I can always tell when a blogger reads more than he writes, and it's apparent you're well read. I have rarely had to hire anyone, but am looking for a part-time assistant. It's terrifying, actually. Great insight when I needed it most.

[Bobby Lehew]

Thanks, Jennifer! Good luck with the new hire, it's a tough process but you've got a keen eye and excellent intuition, that objectivity will serve you well. Thanks for taking the time to read my post and share it with your network.