Sponsored By

Talent Talk: To Hire Top Players, You Need a Job Scorecard

Creating a job scorecard, or similar tool to define who it is you need, will quickly yield noticeable results.

Paul Sturgeon

November 8, 2021

2 Min Read
business checkmark
Image: Gerd Altmann-pixabay

Last week we discussed the true cost of a mis-hire. This week we begin to look at key strategies for avoiding that and moving toward the hiring of A-players.

Believe it or not, the biggest mistake I see many companies make in hiring is not being clear on who they need. A traditional job description, no matter how well-written, does not get to the heart of the matter.

If everyone on the hiring team is not in agreement on who it is you are trying to hire, here is how that will manifest: One interviewer will love candidate A, but another interviewer will be lukewarm because of experience. Yet another will say, “Not a cultural fit.” This will be repeated several times, with the interviewers taking turns being the one who loves a candidate.

In their book Who, Geoff Smart and Randy Street suggest creating a job scorecard for each position. I believe this is a great tool, but however you get there and whatever you call it, you must address the following:

  1. The mission of the role — why does it exist?

  2. The competencies that you must have. These include cultural values and are critical to defining the DNA of the candidate you are seeking.

  3. The experience and technical knowledge needed to excel in the position.

  4. The KPIs and outcomes for this person in the first 30 and 90 days, and the first year.

Creating a job scorecard, or similar tool to define who it is you need, will quickly yield noticeable results.

The other beautiful part of the job scorecard is that it spells out the specific results this person is expected to achieve. This helps maintain a focus on the mission of the role, which is why you are hiring in the first place.

Once you have this step completed, you are ready to begin sourcing potential candidates — the subject of next week’s Talent Talk.

 

paul-sturgeon-150.jpgAbout the author

Paul Sturgeon is CEO of KLA Industries, a national search firm specializing in plastics, packaging, and polymer technology. If you have a topic you would like to see discussed, a company that is growing, or other ideas for this blog, e-mail Sturgeon at [email protected].

About the Author(s)

Paul Sturgeon

Paul Sturgeon is CEO of KLA Industries, a national search firm specializing in plastics, packaging, and polymer technology. If you have a topic you would like to see discussed, a company that is growing, or other ideas for this blog, e-mail Sturgeon at [email protected].

Sign up for the PlasticsToday NewsFeed newsletter.

You May Also Like