Talent Talk: Three Hiring Tips Your Company Can Learn from the Olympics

There are 204 nations competing in Paris. The United States has 592 athletes participating. Liechtenstein and three other countries have only a single athlete, but every country has one thing in common that private companies, including our plastics industry, can learn from.

Find someone who checks all the boxes

First and foremost, do what it takes to hire the best. Olympic results start with having the best athletes at what they do. Each country did everything it could to identify the best gymnasts, boxers, and swimmers for its national team. Yet, in the corporate world, we are often content with making a list of qualifications, then finding someone who matches most of that list. It’s even more important in business than the Olympics, because in business the top performers have many options, not just one national team.

The most expensive mistake you can make as a business leader is to miss out on a rock star because he or she needs 10 to 15% more in pay than what someone has arbitrarily decided.

Performance first

Second, emphasize performance over credentials. If you were coaching the US weightlifting team, would you rather have someone who went to the best school for weightlifting or the person who had lifted the most weight? Pretty easy answer, right? Then why do we not insist on drilling down on accomplishments, both with prospective candidates and current employees?

Consider having a part of the interview process mimic what the job will entail. That will tell you more than a resume with perfect grammar and spacing. Average performers will have an array of excuses as to why that doesn’t make sense. The top performers, however, will relish the opportunity to “show off” a little, and will appreciate that your company does that, because it means you hire the best. Top performers want to work with other top performers.

Go for the gold

Third, consider what the true metrics are for success in any position. Job descriptions typically haven’t changed since before the internet existed. Having excellent communication skills, working both independently and as part of a team, and being able to lift 25 pounds might need to be on the description, but they do not address the keys to be successful in that role. I can sit or stand for long periods of time but would not be very good at skateboarding.

Read your job descriptions and ask the question: Could someone meet every requirement on here, and still not be a top performer? I have seen sales manager job descriptions that fail to mention that one of the job requirements is to sell something.