adminbombings. It made reference to the amateur nature of the bomber himself, even the type of reporting by the media.
She then concluded that it is the professionals that came out looking much better than amateurs.
It got me thinking of the type of businesses that some of us manage.
Let us face it, employing the highly qualified 15 years experience type of manager is expensive.
This brings us to the question whether we should put in place succession plans and nurture personnel within our companies.
One commentator said if you identify a bad candidate after completion of the recruitment process, you are almost “throwing good money after the bad”.
We all ought to agree that the cost of hiring a new person is very expensive.
Remember that finding the most perfect candidate for that job is almost impossible – they might have strength in this area and a weakness in another area.
If we were to closely follow the events at the Boston bombings, the person that finally caught the suspect was not the professional, it was an amateur that alerted the FBI professionals leading to helicopters, thermal imaging cameras and helicopters arriving at the scene. But who came out the hero?
Can we then as businesses spend fortunes trying to look for the ideal candidates, advertising and spending money?
Local recruiting agencies often spend months looking for the perfect candidate.
Being in a very competitive environment, finding the perfect mix of skills, experience, education level is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
The article also got me thinking on who we define as an amateur or professional.
If I have three years’ working experience, having attended a local university, working for a small to medium enterprise, does that make me a professional or an educated amateur?
Where can we draw the line as to the direction to take in our recruitment? In some instances, professionals, experienced and trained employees have been known to make costly mistakes for the company.
There would be no difference to the young rookie who will do their best to remain relevant to the company.
A professional faces so many pressures to prove their mettle.
Opportunities for innovation are countless nevertheless.
The new technologies coming through social media are quite effective. Most professionals that have been given big positions have demonstrated a lack of knowledge of how best to leverage these technologies.
The common phrase among employers is to hire for attitude and train for skill.
You will not be able to build a successful company if you do not have a good calibre of professionals.
The problem is the identification of these people.
What companies must look for is a genuine person that can fit into their system.
Recruitment processes must not be flimsy, take time to take each individual through a test of character, strength, attitude and drive. Personal mottos are a great way of showing character.
Take time to grade individuals – from the passive one, active to the leader.
Hiring is not about finding the right people with the right skills but also those with the right mindset.
Many psychologists have pointed out that the best predictor for future behaviour is past behaviour.
I tend to agree, unless divine interventions happen, people have a tendency to follow their past action all their lives.
Introverts normally remain introverts, extroverts don’t really change but they maintain their status.
In the end, amateurs are not bad . . .
Till next week, may God richly bless you.
Shelter Chieza is an advisor in management issues. She can be contacted at [email protected]
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