Make no mistake, the goal of every hiring quest is to find quality talent with all the experience and qualifications that lead to success in the workplace.  A good job search begins with defined hiring criteria, a thorough understanding of the qualifications, strengths, and abilities of your ideal candidate, and a rigorous, scientific selection process. Defining candidate success too narrowly, however, can lead to classic hiring errors bordering on Greek tragedy.  

Remember, Narcissus Died of Longing

Much has been written about the dangers of limiting your search to only those candidates forged in your own image.  Like Narcissus, the hiring manager who searches for himself is doomed to an endless search.  Having fallen in love with his own image – a killer work ethic, smarts, and agility, a caring steward of the business – he could stare forever into the candidate pool and never find that platonic ideal.  Why? Because every candidate brings his or her own unique blend of qualities to the table. The hiring manager who waits for a doppelganger could perish from longing on the banks of the candidate pool like Narcissus or just make the wrong hire, like any mere mortal.   Either fate can be avoided by embracing the possibilities of what diverse points of view can bring to the workplace.

Avoiding the Curse of Echo

Building a homogeneous team of like-minded people is arguably not the best strategy for team success. The research of Katherine W. Phillips, Katie A. Liljenquist and Margaret A. Neale, as reported in KelloggInsight by author Bunkhuon Chhun, reveals the productive nature of diverse ideas:  “Though people often feel more comfortable with others like themselves, homogeneity can hamper the exchange of different ideas and stifle the intellectual workout that stems from disagreements.”  Without diverse points of view, you’ll likely create an echo chamber from which ideas are repeated endlessly without the sharpening edge of diverse viewpoints.  An appropriate and professional atmosphere of critique and challenge can elevate a team’s ideas and lead to better results.  

Every candidate offers a special mix of experience, insight, and perspective.  Embracing the possibilities of diversity can mean the difference between making a good and a great addition to the team.  At the same time, an open mind doesn’t require abandoning the rigors of an effective hiring process. The X-FACTOR method, our proprietary recruiting system, will provide the foundation for a scientific approach to finding great candidates. Open-mindedness simply enriches that process and the result. To learn more about how the X-FACTOR system can provide the foundation of an effective job search that leads to hiring quality talent, contact us and download our free white paper on “Perfecting the Perfect Hire” below! 

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NEXTAFF helps companies Hire Quality Employees.  By offering a complete range of temporary staffing agency services, we help your company – no matter where you are in your business evolution – raise productivity through hiring better quality employees. We are able to service all your staffing agency needs with local staffing offices in Des Moines-IA, Raleigh-NC, Overland Park-KS, Topeka-KS, Kansas City-MO, Gulf Coast-MS, Phoenix-AZ, Miami-FL, and Harrisburg-PA.

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