The Art of Hiring versus the Science of Getting Hired

By: Katherine Davis, BGS Communications Associate

"Recruiters, start your Network Building Engine," Jobfox.com told those looking for candidates.

Monster.com's homepage addressed job hunters with, "Take control of your career."

"Growth quickens, but speed bumps ahead," Reuters reporter Lucia Mutikani predicted.

Amid a plethora of online job boards and applications, conflicting job growth reports and ongoing debates over the world's economic future, both job-seekers and those looking to hire can run up against their own unique set of obstacles.

Rusty Dworkin (BGS 1981, The University of Texas at Austin), Senior Manager of Global Vendor Management Services at HP Enterprise Services, believes a large factor in obtaining the job one wants lies with presentation. Many times, this presentation starts with a candidate proving he or she can do the job.

"The first thing I'm looking for in a job candidate is anything in the background that tells me he or she can do the job," Dworkin said. "I look for what skills or expertise a person might have that fits a particular role."

Resumes are a huge determinant in what first catches an employer's eye. Dworkin recommended not only writing professionally, but also using words that "stick."

"I always look at the quality of a resume. It's important that candidates can describe themselves articulately because so much of today's work involves communications," Dworkin said. "Applicants should choose words that are valuable and that will mean something to me as their potential employer."

Pointing out that many job applicants put general or somewhat "obscure" job objectives on their resumes, he emphasized the importance of being specific in one's career goals.

"There's a misconception among job seekers that you shouldn't paint yourself too narrowly if you don't want to be screened out," Dworkin said. "Think of yourself as a product. How would you describe yourself? You really want to describe who you are here. Remember, white space is better than words when the words don't matter."

For employers, Dworkin mentioned that assessing and interpreting a job candidate's presentation is vital.

"I used to be judgmental when reviewing a candidate and would look at how many jobs he or she had held," said Dworkin. "Now, I'm more focused on what they've done in those jobs. Longevity is a pretty positive indicator of a good work ethic."

He explained the importance of an employer not always expecting the same type of application or resume.

"I don't always ask for cover letters. If someone sends one, it should be unique," Dworkin said. "When I managed sales for a Japanese company, I would go through so many letters a day. I dreaded going through them. But I had an unbelievable experience with someone who began the letter with, 'Look no further for your future sales executive.' I read it, enjoyed it and ended up hiring him."

Dworkin cautioned employers against over-simplifying.

"Hiring is not a formula. It's a process."

While the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) charts are showing employment rates as being on the rise rather than decline, there were still 12.8 million unemployed persons (about 8.3 percent of the population) in the U.S. in February 2012. The U.K. was nearly identical, with the Office for National Statistics reporting an 8.4 percent unemployment rate in December 2011. The BLS found that, of the 8.8 million net U.S. jobs lost between January 2008 and February 2010, 40 percent have been recovered.

Chris Lawson, president of the Eli Daniel Group, a staffing agency that helps companies hire new employees, believes that we are still in an employers' market. But as far as hiring goes, he sees mistakes as happening on both sides of the process.

"I find that a lot of people are doing what will 'just get them the job,' but this never works because they'll eventually be exposed," said Lawson. "On the other hand, a lot of companies misfire and hire the wrong candidate just because he or she fits certain criteria or a perfect picture that they've created. They can certainly limit themselves in that sense."

Lawson believes there is an "absolute art" to the interviewing process that many employers, particularly those without hiring experience, sometimes do not understand. He thinks finding the right person lies not in taking tests or hiring someone who fits a box-like description, but, rather, in asking the right questions.

"After I ask a client the basic questions like, 'How many years of experience does the position require?' it's time to go beyond that and ask things like, 'What type of person fits in your environment or work culture?' and 'Are work priorities key in your company, or are personal and family-related priorities given high importance as well?' After that, it's about finding the right kind of personality that will fit within that organization."

While he admits that the application process has, for a long time, been "cookie-cutter" with lengthy online applications and standardized questions, Lawson thinks attitudes on hiring are changing. He sees companies hiring more new employees than they have in a long time, but nevertheless believes job seekers need to maximize the potential of their online applications.

"Candidates in general are frustrated with online applications. Things may be more confidential, and they may not have as much information as they'd like," said Lawson. "I always say it should just be part of the process to research the company, and, if there's any opportunity to explain why you're a good fit for a position, then you need to do so. It's all about the small steps and details."

Ultimately, Lawson believes that both sides—the employer and the job-seeker—should be trying to get a better grasp of each other, whether that means skills or work style, benefits or employee expectations.
"At the end of the day, making the right fit has to come down to getting a right sense of the candidate and that candidate having a right sense of the company."

Steven Morrill (BGS 2011, Utah State University) would certainly agree with Lawson. Hired by Pricewaterhouse Cooopers right after his graduation, Morrill remembers going through interviews in September 2011 and the importance of making a connection with his potential employer.

"He asked me about a time I had been proactive as an employee," Morrill said. "Even though I had been in school, I had worked in sales as well. I told him about a time when I noticed my company was tracking numbers a bit nonsensically. I had familiarity with excel and tracking, and I saw how the item numbers were supposed to match up and be ranked. Relatively on my own, I re-tracked the numbers so that it all made sense."

Morrill mentioned the enthusiasm his story created and his interviewer's reaction.

"I remember that he was very excited and kept asking more questions," he explained. "Even though my experience didn't deal with taxes or accounting, it showed I had been proactive as an employee. I had been paying attention, was curious to go on from what I had discovered and had applied my knowledge. From there on out, I think I was on his short list."