Why You Want To Hire for Potential, Rather Than Perfection | 2-Minute Video

We often seek perfection when we set out to hire new employees. But consider this approach: Hire for potential.

When you hire for potential, you can train to get perfection.

What’s Up in This Episode: Learn to Hire for Potential

That’s the theory behind this episode of HRMorning’s 3-Point. But even better, our expert, Kareem Bakr, the Managing Director at Phaidon International, shows us hiring for potential, rather than perfection, often results in getting exactly what you need in open roles.

Bakr walks us through how you can hire for potential and end up with perfection. Click, watch and listen for more details on hiring for potential so your next hiring move will be a winner.

Transcript (edited for clarity):

Forget about hiring the perfect job candidate.

There’s a new hiring trend that might work better. Hire for potential, not perfection.

You see, when you hire potential, you likely get more than perfection. You get someone who will make the job, department or even the company better.

But how do you identify potential?

Kareem Bakr, Managing Director, Phaidon International: “If I had to kind of put into sort of four categories, what clients tend to look for in a search is going to be ambition, coachability, strong communication skills, and interpersonal skills.” 

Now, let’s break down how you uncover these critical characteristics.

Bakr: “So with Ambition, most of our clients are really looking for someone who has the appetite to grow, who is excited by upward mobility, who has demonstrated a, guess, taking on challenges, failing and getting back on the horse, so to speak, and showing that resiliency. That kind of pairs with that Ambition piece. The second piece around coachability is the willingness to learn and to be coached and to be challenged.” 

Bakr: “Third piece that I mentioned was strong communication skills and a strong communicator. So again, anyone who can synthesize data and explain it in layman’s terms and effectively communicate a message quickly and effectively.”

Bakr: “The last piece is around the interpersonal skills. Again, is it an extrovert versus an introvert? Is it someone who is able to engage in person and on the phone, able to command the room in a town hall or a sort of board meeting? Or just a group huddle versus just sit behind an email or a text and just communicate that way?” 

So, the ideal hire might not have the skills you need, but they’ll do better in the role. To find potential:

• Focus on softer skills. That’s where potential shines through.
• Remember the critical four – ambition, coachability, communication skills and interpersonal skills.
• Probe. Once you know job candidates have the minimum skills you need, spend more time asking questions that focus on these softer skills.

Now, imagine the potential positive outcomes when you start hiring for potential.