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Recruiting a manager to lead a critical technical function poses a dual challenge of identifying not only highly competent candidates with the necessary technical skills, but also those who possess the appropriate relationship skills and attitudinal fit for the company.
For contract technical service providers, these challenges are heightened as the success of the service relies heavily on the delivery of complex technical services and the associated relationships with clients.
Discover how we used Talent SM&RT to evaluate attitudinal fit and assist a contract manufacturing organization that had struggled for nearly two years through multiple recruitment rounds to identify and hire the right production manager.
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The company specialises in manufacturing materials for specialised markets, such as the Pharmaceutical sector, where quality standards are exceptionally high. The role of the Manufacturing Manager is critical and high-profile, with key relationship responsibilities both within and outside the business.
Despite losing their last Manufacturing Manager over 18 months ago and conducting several rounds of recruitment, the company has yet to identify a suitable replacement. They have utilised traditional recruitment methods, such as advertising and agency support, but have not been successful in finding the right candidate. Throughout this period, multiple candidates have been interviewed but no consensus on a suitable candidate has been reached.
The recruitment process is overseen by the Head of HR and the formal leaders of the business, who make up an executive team, including the Managing Director, Finance Director, Engineering Manager, and Operations Manager, who serve as an interview panel.
The Head of HR states that the recruitment process is now critical as the business needs to expand its client base.
One of the candidates had a very strong technical background and performed well in the technical interview, but their Talent SM&RT profile did not match the requirements for the job. They even demonstrated certain traits that were classified as "deal breakers." The Head of HR was informed that the candidate would likely have difficulty with key aspects of the role.
Despite this, the candidate was offered an initial six-month contract due to their strong technical background and immediate availability after being made redundant.
However, after less than a month, the Head of HR reported that the candidate was indeed struggling in the role, as anticipated by the Talent SM&RT analysis.
The recruitment process continued and new candidates were evaluated through the same selection process. A suitable appointment was eventually made, and fortunately, the new candidate was also available immediately after returning from an overseas position, minimizing the time lost due to the initial failed decision.
One of the key objectives of recruitment is to assess candidates against agreed-upon criteria, in order to ensure that the most qualified and suitable candidates are selected. However, as the number of people involved in the assessment process increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain objectivity.
When dealing with abstract skills such as relationship management, the recruitment process can start to resemble an exercise in finding out why not to hire someone, rather than identifying the best candidate. This problem is further exacerbated when the role in question is at a management level or above, as it is rarely as simple as finding a candidate who has successfully performed a similar role at another company. The context of the role can vary greatly from company to company, and the biggest variable in any work context is the people and how they shape the demands of the role. This can completely change the context of the role, making it challenging to predict how a candidate will perform in the new environment.
This case study demonstrates how a tool such as Talent SM&RT can provide a predictive level of insight into how a candidate's attitudes and favoured working styles will support or undermine success in a new environment. By using this tool, organisations can gain a better understanding of how a candidate will fit within the company's culture and how they will perform in the specific role. This is a cost effective way of making more informed decisions when it comes to recruitment, ultimately leading to a more successful and productive workforce.
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The Talent SM&RT® system creates models of attitudes and behaviours delivering an unmatched level of understanding and influence in any talent context.