Recently I came across an article that suggested 85% of job openings are not public and that the key to the job search is in networking. The article focused on the candidate and was more about advice for job seekers.
Let’s take a look at how this applies to the hiring company.
85% is a big number, and sounds way too large to be accurate. However, a very typical scenario in the small business community is to create openings based on people that we know. For example, a business owner sees that a person in their network is seeking employment. They know the person well (not a personal friend) and think highly of them. The business owner may not have an active opening, but reaches out to this individual to see if there is a fit in his/her company. If there is an opening, a hire is made. No ad is written. No job is posted. No resumes are submitted. This happens a lot and is a big contributor to the 85% statistic. These types of hires usually (but not always) turn out to be pretty solid.
The business owner has identified the person that fits the company’s culture and is talented, created a role in the organization that can take advantage of the candidates skill set and the candidate’s experience as well. The business doesn’t have a set Culture Based Hiring Strategy or even a focus on Culture in general, but many times they do it and don’t realize it is happening.
What can we learn from this the next time you have an opening?
- Evaluate candidates in the same order. 1) Culture 2) Talent 3) Skills and then 4) Experience. In other words, stop looking at the resume first!
- Get more proactive about hiring. Focus on talented people, then identify the best use of the talents in your organization.