On what basis do we hire people? Past record? Referrals? Interview performance? Our processes seem to be clear and foolproof. But then why does the performance graph curve go down after a while?
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| Rajaram Rajendran |
Hire people who are smart. A lot of big companies have policies of minimum performance requirement in, say, engineering, or a minimum grade in management school. Would you do that too? You wouldn’t overlook the people who had the courage to apply to the company even though they might have known the policies, would you?
Say your minimum requirement of engineering percentage is 75. You hire a guy with an 80 percent. Well and good! Somebody else applied to your company with a 60 percent, even though the application criterion says he is not eligible. But he is the guy who tries. He is not the guy who didn’t even apply because he is already defeated by the criteria. He is the kind of guy you might just need; especially if the position was a sales or marketing one. Now ask yourself, would the guy you hired have tried if the minimum requirement was a 90 percent?
The point is not at all that you shouldn’t hire the guy with the higher score. The point is, put people before their resumes. Hire the right guys, not the right resumes.
The guy with a desire to grow and the willingness to act on it is the one you need. It is easy to hire guys who will do what they’re told, who will expect a raise, and who will complain that they are not paid enough. Those are workers and will move on with better offers. Focus on the other group; those who can think. Those who know that the big idea is worth more than the small raise or the small jump. Those who know that the big raise or the big jump comes as a result of great performance, and not the other way round. This is why your hiring process should be specific to the nature of your organization. Do not try to imitate the big guys. If you want to grow fast and be unique, design your own process. Nobody knows your needs better than you.
This might seem out of the way. It might seem impractical and even idiotic. It might seem like reinventing the wheel. But when you need wings, wheels might not do. Know your goals, and let your process be designed with that in mind. Let your processes be unique. Aren’t great things made when the thinking changes from customary and safe to different and crazy? That then becomes the new form of thinking. Anybody can get along, anybody can play it safe, and anybody can stick to being average. Dare to be different. All the best!
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The writer is an entrepreneur, designer, digital artist, wannabe musician and a jack of all, who thinks black & white photography is very cool. To write to the author, please send an email to dare@cybermedia.co.in with the subject line 'Rajaram Rajendran'. Disclaimer: The views expressed here are that of the author and do not represent the magazine's.
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