Search parameters and job descriptions matter. Those that focus on competencies rather than hyper-specific experience can attract more qualified candidates to a position, says Virginia Clarke, a human resources consultant soon to be based in Chicago. Clarke, who spent four years as director of executive recruiting at Google, tells of hiring a program manager for an HR position. He didn t know anything about recruiting, but he had a black belt in change management, Clarke says. The hire turned out to be perfect for the job. He added so much value to what we were doing, she says.
Here, Clarke has rewritten a job description to focus on competency for a sales manager role; the position, with beefier credentials, could be used to court a chief executive or chief operating officer, she says.