Aug 13, 2009

How do you avoid a Paper Tiger?

Posted by Wendy Weber

Anyone who has had experience in hiring management personnel knows the problem.  An executive may appear to have all the desirable experience, strengths and substance you require – and still be a mistake.   On paper, they are a tiger.  In reality, they don’t deliver.

The cost of such an error is exhorbitant.  The expense of relocation, the loss of productivity and opportunities, the salary, benefits and perhaps severance you had to pay, are only the financial costs.  The most serious problem may be the lowering of morale among your employees when an executive comes on board and leaves soon afterward.

And, of course there is that constant nagging thought:

Can you do better the next time?  The answer is yes, with a methodical…and harsh…system of selection.

The hiring process must be viewed as a thorough analysis of both the weaknesses, and the strengths, of even the most desirable candidate, because strengths will always be more obvious.  Most hiring mistakes result from failure to detect those weaknesses during the selection process.

There are 5 steps, and as many pitfalls, to effective hiring:

1.  Define the job in the way you want it done and not necessarily the way it has been done.

2.  Attract a sufficient pool of quality candidates, even when the talent is sparse.

3.  Insist that candidates present a resume thoroughly outlining their employment history.

4.  Interview carefully, and listen carefully for what isn’t said.

5.  Check references as if your company’s fate depended on it.

So how do you avoid hiring a “Paper Tiger?”  Conducting a rigorous hiring process be a tedious endeavor.  However, it is one that is well worth it in the long run, resulting in a hire that will reap rewards for years to come.


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