Charles Darwin talked about survival of the fittest. “Fittest” did not have any definition apart from how the species react and absorb to the external environment around them. The more they adjust the better their chance of surviving the odds and thus they excel.
In the book “Don’t hire the best” Abhijit talked on the similar lines. Only difference being here the recruiter has to be the key person to identify the best fit for the present corporate environment and the job requirement.
Most interviewees on the chair have a tendency to “reject” and few go for traditional assessments like marks, percentages, degrees, brand names printed on resume or the way the interviewee communicates.
But the system of hiring is not a linear one. It is rather more complex. There can be many hiring errors. The perceptions and prejudice of the interviewer can affect the hiring. There can be cognitive bias in which our judgments of a person’s character can be influenced by our overall impression of him or her i.e. the halo effect. Examples of a film/ book being rejected several times and ultimately becoming a super success are many. Even Mr. Amitabh Bacchan was once told that he does not have the quality of becoming an actor and J K Rowling was rejected by many publishers.
So…the recruiter’s role here becomes more complex and important to make the right choice and evaluate the right fit of the candidate in the available role. Even few interviewers claim they have gone by their gut feeling and got the right man.
In the process of recruitment, the term “best” is mostly judged by the resume and the credentials, certificates. The traditional method of interview and the resume and designed to supplement the criteria on paper ignoring the practical side of it. Competencies are mostly ill-judged. A person good in communication and the presentation might be a failure in execution and vice versa. The challenge is to find it out. Recruiter, most confidently hires one considering the best and he/she fails in the field.
Is the fault lying with the recruitment process? Abhijit tries to answer the question through his book.
Recruitment is one of the most important organizational processes and major part of organizational productivity depends on the right choice.
A right person at the right place ensures both lower employee turnover and higher engagement and productivity. To ensure the right hiring the selection should be broadly based on an assessment of skill & will & individual traits.
Structured interviews must focus not only on the question & answers method but also observation and analysis. The challenge is whether there is a fit between the company's expectations and the personality and caliber of the interviewee.
The specialty of the book is that it is not based on the books, theories or experiments. It is broadly based on the experiences. Abhijit ‘s vast experience as a HR leader in various reputed companies like Wipro, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Colgate Palmolive and Tata Steel has nourished the contents of the book.
Abhijit particularly talks about the hiring the best vs hiring the right fit.
Ultimately the recruitment results in the overall productivity of the company.
Abhijit includes case studies ranging from start-ups to large global corporate, and provides a comprehensive guide on how to keep the balance. Recruitments must be based on the company culture-requirements and the flexibility of the job role and the candidate, ot broadly on the Resume and the degrees.
As always, the flow was serene and amazing. As a first time entrant to a business book Abhijit (mostly popular for his fictions) has done a great job and proved that there is no stereotypes when it comes to a natural writer.
