There’s no exact formula but you know when you see it…. Instead it’s a collection of positive traits and abilities that visibly work in tandem to create a high-calibre candidate. The answer, I realised, is none of the above and not an exact science.
In terms of ability, is it someone like Good Will Hunting who can extrapolate the most ridiculous quadratic equation at the drop of a hat? Or is it someone who can use emotional intelligence to deeply understand a client’s requirements and hence provide a genuinely first-class service. In terms of character, is it someone who finds €50 on the ground and brings it to the police station rather than placing it securely in their back burner, or is it someone who pushes themselves to excel when their peers have left the office and gone home to put the feet up? The quality of someone’s character or the level of their ability? It’s difficult to put a handle on that one, isn’t it?
The definition of high-calibre per our good friends over in Oxford is, “The quality of someone’s character or the level of their ability”. Now my initial thoughts were, “What does that mean? What is it to be high-calibre?” Can it be defined, or is it one of those fluffy phrases that gets bandied around from Hiring Manager to Hiring Manager and Job Spec to Job Spec a bit like its siblings “excellent communicator” and “self-starter”. It’s not something I looked for when I began my career, but after countless calls with clients, running through profile requirements and asking ” What are you looking for in the ideal individual”, I would often get the response, “I want someone high-calibre”. However, one thing that I now always look for in candidates during my meetings with them is whether they are high-calibre. No candidate is the same, all experience is different, each skill set is unique, and everyone’s stories fascinate in their own way. The beauty of this – and partly why I love my job – is that every interview is still as interesting today as it was when I nervously walked into my first one back in Sydney in 2006.
I’ve listened to a huge number of candidate’s strengths, weaknesses, achievements, motivations, ambitions, and equally, their gripes, difficulties and regrets. Having worked in recruitment for over 10 years and having interviewed thousands of candidates from all corners of the globe, I have seen many personality types and heard many interesting points of view.
0 kommentar(er)
