Finding the right job or the right business partner is very much like finding the right date or the right life partner; it’s not simple. As a person who has a passion for connecting the dots, it’s easy for me to see parallels between what I witness occurring in my line of work and what I experience in my own dating life. I can go on for hours making analogies between business and dating, but for the sake of time, I will focus on four big comparisons.
Preparation
One study shows that you have a matter of seconds to make a first impression. Of course it’s not fair to make snap judgments about people, but this is reality. The point is: you always want to make a good first impression. This is why smart people do research on the company, job, and individuals who are involved in the process before an interview. They also make sure to look their best and dress for success, or in the case of a date, dress to impress. In this day and age, it’s also not a bad idea to “Google” someone before a date, especially if the interaction was initiated online. Knowledge is power.
Calibration
When establishing requirements for what would make for the ideal candidate or ideal partner, it’s important to know what you want. With that said, it’s also unreasonable to expect perfection; you will set yourself up for disappointment. Instead of creating a laundry list of all the qualities that this individual must have, you are better off coming up with 3 – 5 “must have” traits and 3 – 5 “deal breakers.” Everything else can be negotiable. Demonstrating a willingness towards being open-minded and flexible will allow you to see what can be possible if you just give the other person a chance.
Follow-Up
Not getting back to a candidate after a great interview is like not calling or texting someone after a great date; this is also known as “ghosting.” You end up leaving the person hanging, and this is not nice. If you like someone, let them know. If you don’t think it will work out, also let them know. It’s okay to explore other options before you decide to move forward with this individual, but you will serve yourself better if you make an effort to keep this person warm. As “busy” professionals, no one has the time to sit around and wait. If you go dark on a great candidate, this person will most likely move on to the next best thing. Inconsistency is not professional nor is it sexy.
Due Diligence
As the hiring executive, it’s almost impossible to select the right candidate for the job until you have interviewed a slate of different candidates. Even when the preferred candidate has risen above the crowd, this individual must move onto several more rounds of interviews before making it to the offer stage. In dating, it’s also hard to pick the right partner until you have dated several different people to know what you like or what you cannot tolerate. Even after a great first date, there has to be at least a few more dates that follow before determining whether two people are compatible and can now enter the “relationship zone.”
Finding the right executive search partner can also be challenging. As a client, you want a partner who will not only understand but also care and commit to your needs even when the going gets tough. You want a partner who you can trust and can tell the story about your company’s culture and values. You want a partner who can find you the right candidate, the fit candidate, for the role you are trying to fill. If you believe that building meaningful relationships matters and that the right fit must make business sense, brand sense, and heart sense, then The fit Team is the right executive search partner for you.
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