Hiring Greatness by David E. Perry Mark J. Haluska

Author:David E. Perry, Mark J. Haluska
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-07-08T16:00:00+00:00

maintenance engineer at a small tool-and-die company, which he eventually bought and turned into a thriving business. Fred is a character and well-loved by his employees. The soon-to-be chief operating officer needed to gain his trust and respect fast if he was to be successful and eventually transition into the CEO role. The successful candidate needed to speak Fred's language.

At the end of our time in Milwaukee I liked two candidates: Dave and Jim. Dave was a solid guy with the right experience and good leadership skills. His being less seasoned than several of the other candidates was my only reservation.

And then there was Jim.

Jim rang all the right bells during our interview for many reasons. He struck me as the “what you see is what you get” type. He wasn't trying to put on a dog-and-pony show. While Michael was afraid he didn't want it bad enough—that he wasn't going to sell himself in the interview—my view was that we hadn't yet provided enough information about the opportunity to make him jump up and down with excitement. And frankly, at this stage, I wanted a conversation with him—not a show.

The guy that Michael liked best, I hated. It happens! This candidate's education and experience were spot-on, but he moved jobs too much for my liking. He was also dressed to impress. The cut of his suit said so. His clothes were meant for the boardroom, his language laden with so many pop psychology and business buzzwords it made my eyes roll. His demeanor didn't fit on the shop floor, and he was a name-dropper—where he went to school, who he went to school with, who was a member of his country club, that kind of thing. It was all well-rehearsed and designed to impress. He kept tapping his Northwestern ring on the table as we talked, and that really annoyed the crap out of me. Other than that, though, he was perfect: He looked every bit the part of an executive, and he certainly spoke like a typical MBA grad.

Michael and I interviewed all seven candidates over two-and-a-half days, comparing notes all the while. Like barristers arguing over a case we vetted each candidate on their merits. It was clear that several of the candidates had changed jobs involuntarily, which in and of itself is insignificant as a lone event, but if it's happened more than once or twice, and for the same reason, or given the same circumstances, then you have to question whether it's a habit or character flaw. Either way, it's a problem.

In the end we eliminated four of the group of seven. As the lead ESP, I would

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