Hire for Talent

Skills Can Be Taught, Talent and Drive Can’t

Lately there has been a lot of discussion about layoffs, firings and the loss of thousands of jobs monthly. The flip side of the loss of so many jobs in our economy is the huge influx of fantastic talent now looking for a new job. Additionally, the toxic environments that some organizations are creating for their employees are driving their most talented people into the job market as well (Check my earlier post for ways to avoid this at your nonprofit). For nonprofits that are able to weather the economic storm this is a great opportunity. Whether your organization is in the unique position to hire today or are making plans to hire in 2010 I want to encourage nonprofit professionals in charge of hiring to hire for talent first, drive second and a specific skill set last.

 I believe this is the best practice for all organizations, but especially for nonprofits. Nonprofits are unique for many reasons and one of the major differences for nonprofits is the need for their employees to “wear many hats”, learn new skills on the fly, and in some cases create and manage programs that didn’t exist the day before. The very things that make outstanding nonprofit professionals unique and valuable. This is the primary reason I am encouraging nonprofits to hire for talent first.  In other words, don’t hire someone to just fill a position, hire someone that can contribute to your whole organization for the long run.

Hiring for a special skill set first may be necessary in certain cases such as General Counsel, CFO, or accountant, however many more nonprofit jobs require less specialized skills and education as they do the talent to adapt, learn quickly, and accept new challenges as opportunities. Although this advice seems logical, it is not always followed. All too often resumes are reviewed and accomplishments graded, but talent and drive are ignored or given little attention. If you are not asking probing questions at an interview that give you insight into a person’s inherent talent and drive you are probably missing the mark.

I’ll admit that it is hard to ever be sure what you are going to get. Hiring anyone is a crap shoot even if they have the best resume and interview. Just remember to always be thinking about how well the candidate would do if they were asked to do something he or she had never done before. Or what would happen if someone else in your organization left tomorrow and the decision was made not to rehire (which is happening a lot nowadays), would this candidate be willing and able to adapt and take on those duties? If you are not hiring someone with the talent and drive to be able to handle situations like these than you are being short sighted and setting the candidate, yourself, and the organization up for failure.

If you know of specific situations that the candidate will probably face in the position make sure to ask them how he or she would deal with the situation or at least what he or she think they might do. I have asked candidates if they would be comfortable with picking up dog poop in the morning and speaking on a local news station in the afternoon. Something myself and my employees actually have done at an event. The question provided wonderful insight to the candidate’s personality, motivation, interest and general ability to adapt. One question specific to the position can be worth hundreds of generic, “what is your biggest stregnth?” questions.

Remember, the candidate may have all the skills in the world for a certain position, but if they don’t have great talent and drive he or she will be of little use to your nonprofit in the eleventh hour of a crisis that requires everyone to step out of their comfort zone and pitch in.

Here are a few interview questions that I have personally used to help me get a better understanding of the candidate’s talent, ability to adapt, and drive. I encourage you to formulate your own questions that will help you better distinguish a limited role player from an all around contributor to your organization. As always, please share interview questions that have worked well for you in the comment section below.

Example Interview Questions:

• How do you deal with failure/less than successful project/situation?
• Give an example of a high prressure situation at work. What was the source of the pressure and what did you do?
• How do you deal with having more work than it seems you can ever accomplish?
• What are you looking for in this job?
• What do you like most about the job duties listed?
• How do you deal with change?
• Describe the most difficult job/project you have been given. How did you handle it? What did you learn?

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