[jsfg_cinti] Hiring Psychology and Why We Share, Revisited - from [TENG-Discussion] TENG Newsletter, Vol 3 No 10

All,

Those of you who attended the May 12 meeting of JSFG may remember my talk
about networking. Along the same lines, you may find this story interesting
and soemthing to learn from. (TENG is the Technology Executives Networking
Group)( GPSENG is the Greater Philadelphia Executive Networking Group that I
am a member of)

Paul Berge

-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Pospesil [mailto:epospesil@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2003 12:45 PM
To: 'Discussion TENG'
Subject: [TENG-Discussion] TENG Newsletter, Vol 3 No 10


TENG Newsletter, Vol. 3, No 10


Hiring Psychology and Why We Share, Revisited


Some thoughts contained in this newsletter were expressed in another
from early 2002. The TENG has grown considerably since then making this
topic timeless and always critical to our overall success.

During my career in executive search, I have heard the comment, "second
is always last".
Another version of this is that every candidate on the slate for a
specific job, who is not hired, comes in second. As people recount their
interview experiences, I will hear vignettes similar to these, "I came
in second for the Director's job at XYZ," or "I had a great interview
with the company and they sounded like they would be calling with an
offer, but I haven't heard from them in a month". Probably these words,
or some version of them, have been uttered by nearly every job candidate
at some time or other.  Of the hundreds of searches I have executed in
the past 27 years, I can count on my hands the times when the client's
"anointed" candidate did not accept an offer, or the deal fell through
for any number of reasons, that a number two was taken. I have several
fingers left over. Typically in any search, one person emerges as the
chosen one. When the hire cannot be consummated with this person, the
client almost inevitably states, "Show us more candidates". When pushed
to reconsider those already seen, they usually decline, offering what
they feel are weaknesses in those individuals who remain in the pool.
This reaction is nothing more than the client's expression of
disappointment and the search has to be restarted as if new. Valid or
not, that's the way it is. Exceptions do occur. One of our members in
the Philadelphia area can attest to it. He was the "number two" in a CIO
search last year and he gracefully accepted rejection as his competitor
was hired. His behavior made a lasting impression upon the company's
senior management. When the person hired originally left after nine
months, the company offered our member the position.

The hiring "dance" or process, especially at the senior executive level,
is based heavily upon the chemistry of the moment, or whatever makes two
people "click". Frequently it is referred to as a marriage, which is a
very apt metaphor. I could recount many stories where people were hired,
not for being the best qualified candidate, but because they connected
with the hiring executive on a personal and professional level.
Nowadays, while being more than an exact fit is critical, the "soft
skills" are equally so.

Knowing this, it simply means that one person will stand out from the
pack and get the offer, whether they were seen early in the search or
late. All you can do as a candidate is prepare for an interview do your
best to sell yourself and move on. If you get an offer, you can
celebrate.

The purpose of The TENG and what makes it work is when our ACTIVE
members share job leads on an as-found basis. The Associate members are
not interviewing and unless a lead is handed to them from a colleague,
they won't be sharing. If you wait for your candidacy to end before
sharing a lead, chances are the job will be filled or out on offer to
someone else. By not sharing a lead immediately, you will be doing your
friends a disservice by wasting their time on a dead opportunity. While
they won't say it, they may see you as lacking confidence and not being
a team player. Hand out more than one or two dead leads and this
reputation will stick. You will be paid back in kind. To put it bluntly,
you have to give in order to get. Each of us has the power to create a
chain reaction of giving by setting a positive example. I created this
group to operate much like The Financial Executives Network Group, (FENG
www.thefeng.org ), with the blessing and counsel of Matt Bud, its
Chairman. Matt has grown his group from 35 members in 1997 to a global
networking powerhouse of over 14,000 today, and he did it based on this
very same philosophy. In his words, "Time is the enemy. The value of any
lead is its freshness. Someone will be hired for every job you explore.
If it can't be you, it might as well be one of your friends, rather than
someone you don't know." This means that you personally introduce a
fellow TENG member (this can be done through a conference call) to
either the search consultant or the company, telling them that they
should consider this person as a candidate. This elevates you in
everyone's eyes, because your self-confidence, selflessness and faith in
your own abilities have been showcased. If your friend gets hired, s/he
owes you a tremendous debt and will do everything they can think of to
help you in return. You now have an excellent industry contact.

You can take this to a higher level if you are pending against an
opportunity via a recruiting firm. Offer to introduce qualified
colleagues, but pre-screen them for the recruiter. A few of our members
have posted leads to the LeadShare Group and are serving as the "point
person" to review all potential candidates for appropriate fit,
forwarding only the select few best qualified to the search firm.
Members who do this are building relationships with recruiter, which
they hope to leverage in the future. It also protects confidential
searches and prevents the recruiter from being bombarded by resumes of
non-fits. This encourages the recruiter to circulate other leads through
the TENG.

Some of our chapters have taken sharing to heart and others have not.
Our more "open" chapters not only share job leads on a timely, as found
basis, but they have also created a mutually supportive, caring
environment, that encourages members to connect and help each other on a
personal, as well as professional level. Meeting attendance and member
participation are very high. Meetings run overtime and members leave
knowing they have received valuable shared information and peer support.
Yet other chapters report having difficulty breaking through the
barriers of suspicion and lack of trust and are generally unable to
share any meaningful leads. Their chapter meetings are not as well
attended and participation is lackluster. In our present slow market,
members in these chapters are hoarding and jealously guarding any job
leads to minimize competition. The truth is that this information always
gets out regardless and there are always competing candidates. The
hiring companies are also networking through vendors, industry contacts
and customers to find the best hire. The people whom you don't want to
compete against you are going to find the lead you are concealing
whether you want them to or not. If you befriend them and share with
them on a timely basis, your stature can only improve.  The idea behind
the FENG and TENG approach is that you refer your friends and colleagues
as your competition. When this level of sharing is achieved, members
work from a deeper trust and begin to share all kinds of leads and
business intelligence that would otherwise never be revealed. For the
most part, trust begets trust and people will bend over backward to help
those who have voluntarily helped them. It's like playing dominoes. Do
you want to be the one that starts the chain reaction or the last one to
be hit with the lead?

Also remember that I distribute the job leads to you, the membership. I
can't prevent you from forwarding a lead to a non-member, but it is TENG
policy for them to be shared by members only. If you receive a lead that
fits a colleague who is not a TENG member, nominate her or him for
Active or Associate membership, as appropriate. I will act quickly to
include them and generally turn around most requests in a week. They
will then be able to access the lead at the LeadShare Group. By sharing
with non-members, you have no control over who will ultimately see the
lead and may inadvertently help some complete stranger land a position.
I can't determine whether you will commit to this approach, nor can I
control your performance. That is totally up to you.

I am serious and committed to growing The TENG to be a valuable and
useful career service for senior IT executives. You have been kind and
generous in your support, referrals and comments. Please keep the new
members and job leads coming.
CCopyright, May, 2003 Edward J. Pospesil, Jr.

Ed Pospesil
Chairman
Technology Executives Network Group SM

Vice President
Bruner Consulting Associates, Inc.
33 Elizabeth Street, 3rd Floor
Derby, CT 06418
www.brunerconsulting.com
Phone: 203-732-7084 / 866-566-2224
Fax: 203-732-9033



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