Would Lt. Joe Kenda Make Good Hiring Decisions?

Category: Hiring decisions. Selection, observation

I like Lt. Joe Kenda, (Homicide Hunter), he’s a character. Hiring managers can learn a lot from a good cop. Victim shot dead on the floor, neighbor in shock and horror. “She was such a nice person. I can’t think of anyone who didn’t like her.”

Lt. Joe, “Really? I can think of one person who didn’t like her. The person who shot her.” You can’t beat that for clarity. The way Joe sees it is find the one guy who didn’t like the victim and you’ve got your murderer. The rest of us are befuddled and confused about who could have done it, while Lt. Joe already has the answer. Two people, given the same information will get different instructions from it.

Fast forward. I read an article in Discover about Cambridge researchers finding that City traders with longer ring fingers made more money than their short ring-fingered colleagues. They're also thought to be more aggressive, and more likely to take risks. Something Lt. Joe would have spotted.

Today, I watch everyone’s ring finger to index finger ratio. It may even replace psychometric testing. The lesson is, act on what you observe. Let the facts take you to the conclusion.

A few things to observe in an interview. We are what we defend. Watch where the candidate chooses to explain and speak That’s who she is.No matter what the resume says, immaturity will end up with bad behavior, and that’s where you’ll eventually fire this candidate.

Immaturity shows itself as a lack of respect for others, not age.People who insist on splitting hairs, or parsing words are difficult to work with. If they're difficult with you, they're going to be twice as difficult with your staff should you hire them. Do they follow through on things promised? Follow through doesn't improve after hiring. This is as good as it's going to get.Is the conversation about your needs or the candidate’s needs? The candidate you might not choose is the one who’s trying too frequently, to define what s/he needs. Once on board, the self centered mentality doesn't change. We hire people for skills but we fire them for poor behavior.

In today’s tight candidate driven market nobody is watching candidate quality as much as they should. Scarcity does that. We consider “B” candidates when we should be holding out for an “A” candidate. But, management requires pragmatism.

You have to keep it all going even if you have to compromise. Interview, observe, see. Would Lt. Joe make good hiring decisions? I think so. He sees everything.

Thank you

Wolf Partner