Differentiating Candidates: Indicators of Future Success

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Hiring managers are always faced with the problem of how to differentiate candidates with similar backgrounds. This occurs most often when assessing middle and junior level managers, and especially when choosing young people to be fast-tracked into management development programs.

In the Good Old Days…

Many indicators thought to be of great importance in the past have been found to be delusions when long-term outcomes were studied. Obvious examples are grade scores in school and IQ tests which used to be given significant weight. Today, these measures are considered of minor importance outside of a few professions. Some studies have even shown that advanced degrees like a PhD (and the high marks required to get them) can even lower the chance of achievement in the competitive private sector.

Many people still believe that charisma and sociability are critical success factors for senior leaders of organizations. Certainly charming personalities are important for many individual contributor roles but studies have shown that mundane attributes like problem-solving proficiency, self-discipline, organizational skills and ability to make difficult decisions are more important for achievement as a senior manager.

Another indicator that still is given weight but is coming into question more recently is the value of ivy-league schooling to future success. One of many concerns is the prevalence of “professors” who come from outside the education profession and many of whom are former senior executives in-between jobs. Many are lecturers for short stints and naturally lack experience in educating young minds and often lack the motivation to do the drudgery it requires. These “rock star professors” often deliver performances rather than lectures in auditoriums to huge classes. Tier 2 schools continue trying harder to improve and generally employ dedicated career educators. In the future, it may be that the advantages of high-prestige schooling are shown to be less than compelling.


Treasure at the Bottom of the Resume

In order to differentiate high potential candidates from others with similar work experience, education and credentials, it is useful to actually read the bottom of the resume. It is here you can find information that might indicate something special or unique about the person. Similarly, in interviews, it is also important to go beyond people’s career basics and get to know their personal stories.

What to look for?

Most people would agree that the earlier someone starts learning how to do something, the better he should become at doing it. As an example, it is considered a truism that to produce a world-class athlete or musician, a person often needs to start playing in early childhood -- age 3 is often quoted as a good age to start future stars in tennis, golf and concert piano players.

This “early-bird-gets-the-worm” maxim is true for most professions. People who were successful selling as teenagers will usually be a good salesman for the rest of their lives. People who wrote computer programs early on will have tremendous advantage over those who just played games.

Similarly, individuals who grew up in families where members worked in skilled professions -- whether doctors, lawyers, carpenters, policemen or entrepreneurs – will almost certainly gain more knowledge about the vocation than those who don’t.

The indicators below are the most common ones used to determine the possibility of future success in management.

Indicator 1:

Ran a Business

Most people appreciate that starting and running your own business is an achievement at any time in a person’s life. Young people who start businesses are, therefore, especially interesting because many of the key skills necessary to be a successful manager of a business unit are often already in place – sales and marketing skills, organizational ability, self-motivation, risk reduction, etc. In most cases, the businesses they started will not have been overly successful – that is why they are looking for a job. This is what happen to most adults who start businesses. The key is that they tried and they learned.

Business owners sometimes worry about hiring such people since they don’t want to train future competitors for themselves. This is usually a short-sighted approach. Building a successful business from scratch takes a rare person many years of difficult work and a lot of luck to carry out. That said, the process is made a lot easier if established competitors are run by bosses who have not developed suitable people in key management roles. Entrepreneurship at a young age is a good predictor of future success in business management.

Indicator 2:

Training Experience
The ability to train and develop other people is a key skill that every manager is judged by. People who have experience training or coaching others in an organized setting are therefore of interest. Examples include people who tutored individuals, led a group training program (in school or sport), or coached a team (sports, music, debating or whatever). Young people who gain this experience learn far more themselves than those they helped and they bring a healthy mind-set into an organization.

Indicator 3:

Volunteering

Volunteers are special people because they contribute their time and energy without financial compensation. Young people who become involved in noble pursuits that they have passion for can be attractive. The quality and type of non-profit organizations varies widely so it is important to understand its structure and leadership, and details about the involvement. Participation that involved independent initiative, leading others and defined outcomes is ideal. Look for people who were involved over an extended period and speak knowledgably and with enthusiasm about what they did. If the person got involved for a short time, he may only have wanted to put something on his resume or it was part of a school program and this is less appealing.

Indicator 4:

Civic Leadership

Similar to volunteership above, civic involvement involves organizing people to achieve defined goals but without financial compensation. It may not display the same impassioned enthusiasm as a charitable pursuit but it does offer the leadership experience and competition since positions are often jockeyed for.

Indicator 5:

Parental Background

It is reasonable to suppose that a kid who grows up in a family of lawyers will know something about law when he is an adult. In Asia, it is more common for young people to follow in their parents’ professional footsteps or, at least, to pay attention to them when they drone on and on about what they do for a living. The result is that children’s understanding of the workplace of their parents becomes somewhat second nature and their functionality in a related workplace can start higher and continue upward faster. This is a good thing if the parents are involved in occupations involved in managing others but not so much if not.

As well, family relationships are more important in Asia and those relationships will help adult children in ways that foreigners can only imagine. Parents even take an active role to ensure their children’s success.

Indicator 6:

Working through School

People who work themselves through school need to be particularly self-disciplined and organized since they are doing 2 jobs at once. This is especially so if the person takes on some leadership responsibilities – very possible if he worked in industries like retail or restaurant that employ large numbers of young people. Such people will generally be a good bet since they are used to taking on commitments, meeting deadlines and working under stress.

Indicator 7:

Sports Achievement

Accomplishment in competitive sport is another endeavour that develops valuable skills. Merely being involved in a sport is probably not a differentiator. The person must have achieved success in organized competition. Achievers in individual sports like golf or tennis usually bring strong personal discipline, motivation and similar abilities necessary for management. People who were part of a team that succeeded need to be more carefully assessed unless they were leaders in the group.

Note: While athletic pursuits when a person is young can be very good for skills development, the same is not always said of adult involvement. Adult team sports like rugby, football (soccer) and so forth are too often entangled with self-destructive behaviours like substance abuse (especially heavy alcohol consumption). The result, over time, is a professional whose effectiveness declines in a steady manner. Individual sports like triathlon or tennis are more wholesome but can be a distraction from career attainment if the adult is an overly zealous participant.

Indicator 8:

Family Provider
In many emerging countries, young people are often made responsible for raising younger brothers and sisters, especially in larger families. They are accountable to ensure they are fed, clothed, do their school work and pay for many of the costs. Many expatriate managers have discovered that such people (often women) can quickly become exceptional in leadership roles and are highly motivated since they have financial responsibilities for number of people.


 
 
 

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