Part 3: Community

The process of finding the right candidate to fit an opening in your company is complex, arduous, and often stressful. However, after 18 years in the executive search business, I have identified five key components of the employer/employee relationship that, when given the proper consideration, can simplify the hiring process and increase your chances of securing a successful, long-term hire by up to 50%.

Using what I call “The Five C’s for a Successful Hire,” I coach both my clients and prospective candidates to focus on three base-level requirements (compensation, competency, and community), as well as two higher-level considerations (chemistry and curiosity).

In this installment, I’ll concentrate on the third C: community.

Internal Community

All candidates want to work for “a good company.” The trouble is that “good” means different things to different people. When it comes to recruiting top talent to your company, make sure that your company values, culture, investment patterns, etc. are aligned with the candidate’s preferences and requirements. For instance, a candidate who thrives on creative and collaborative work and who has experience in self-managed teams may not do well in a company with a well-defined hierarchy and more-regulated processes. There is no one formula for a successful company, but making sure that the candidate would succeed within your workplace culture is crucial if you want to guarantee a long-term hire.

External Community

When it comes to considering a new job, it is easy to focus on the overall company, the job requirements, and one’s potential new manager and coworkers. However, an equally important and often-overlooked consideration is the geographic area in which the candidate would be living and working. This is especially critical when a relocation is involved, but it’s something that should be taken into account with every new job opportunity. Sometimes, candidates are so excited by the specific job that they neglect to consider important regional factors, from traffic and weather patterns to the quality of local schools to housing prices and beyond.

When you work with a potential candidate, emphasize the necessity of getting everyone on board (spouses, children, etc.) with the city or region where your company is located. Everyone needs to be excited to call this external community “home,” or the chances for a long-term success plummet. I have seen many promising recruitment efforts end in disappointment when a candidate failed to consider the impact a move would have on his or her family life, so make sure to incorporate these considerations into your conversations with any potential candidate.

Taken together with compensation and competency, community rounds out what I consider the three fundamental points of consideration when it comes to finding a perfect employer/employee match. However, layering in our two higher-level considerations is the best way to ensure a successful hire.

Stay Tuned for Part 4: Chemistry