What this picture in my office reveals about me
This framed picture in my office has sparked many a conversation over the years. I never anticipated it, but it generates lots of reaction as people walk in.
Each time, the conversation goes something like this:
Job candidate: “Wow! That’s a nice picture. Are you a race car fan?”
Me: “No. It means drive.”
Salesperson or supplier: “Do you like cars?”
Me: “No. It means drive.”
Building maintenance person: “Is this a real painting?”
Me: “Yes, and it means drive.”
What follows after these types of exchanges is usually the query: “What do you mean by drive?” This is my favourite part because I get to share the meaning behind this picture for me.
This image represents me, because I am driven. I’ve always been driven. I’ve always had this drive inside of me to do things, and to do them well, without needing someone to micro-manage me. I like being in charge, and I don’t like people telling me what to do. When I tell people that I’ll do something, I do it. That is just how “I am.” This is why I love being an entrepreneur.
This car also represents speed. Again, this is me. I love it when I can move things along and get things done. When I get an order from a client, I jump on it immediately. It needs to be done quickly and I need results now.
For some people, the concept of this car representing being driven doesn’t resonate. They can’t see beyond the fact that this is just a Ferrari race car. They may not be used to looking past the surface-level for deeper insights.
I look beyond the picture. To me, it has a much greater meaning than what appears “on the cover” per se.
That’s also a big part of what I personally love about recruitment. I’ve always looked beyond the résumé. Just like the saying: Think outside the box, I always tell my consultants to “look beyond the résumé” – find out what lies beyond those words on paper.
Too often, people get stuck on what is written in front of them and they forget to look for the story behind the résumé which reveals so much more about a candidate. I challenge my team to find out what’s not on the résumé. That’s often where the best insights lie.
In the same manner, when I take a job order, I always ask my clients: “What’s not on this job description that is important – something that your ideal candidate must have? “
At BlueSky Personnel Solutions, we use three critical strategies to go deeper into our candidate searches – all with the intention of quickly finding and securing the perfect fit for our clients. We’re excited to pull back the curtain on this today and share these approaches with you here.
- Ask: Why did a candidate take on a particular path? Maybe it’s my psychology degree speaking here, but when we look past a list of someone’s work history and ask why a candidate got to where they are, a lot can be revealed. For example, are they problem-solvers and solution-seekers? Do they have a strong appetite for risk-taking? Are they creatively driven? What are they most passionate about in life and work? What is it that lights a fire inside of someone so that they are fueled to work at their best and on their own? Once we have this information, we can compare it to what our client’s position and team can offer them in this context and find the perfect match.
- Get to the real reason why they are leaving: Candidates will offer a variety of reasons why they have left or want to leave their current job. They are in search of new growth opportunities and they want to take on new challenges. They are ready for a change. But these are often “safe” answers job seekers give to put their best foot forward. Sometimes, the real answers look much different: I don’t like my boss. I don’t like my long and arduous commute to work every day. I’m looking for more flexibility to better balance work and life at home. I want more vacation time to travel, etc.
At BlueSky Personnel Solutions, we deeply value and regularly cultivate our network of French/Bilingual talent, so we have a mutual trust between us and our candidates that allows us to have deeper, more honest conversations about why someone is really leaving their job. Imagine, sometimes, just a little extra vacation time can quickly clinch the deal between an employer and their dream candidate. We need to know the underlying reasons to make that happen.
- Consider: What kind of person thrived in this position in the past? As you know, finding a perfect fit for a role involves much more than just matching skills and past experience. We must consider corporate culture, team dynamics, management styles, strength of leadership, etc. One of the most efficient ways of identifying the right successful profile for any position is to examine what kind of person excelled in that role in the past. What were they like and what did they do that made them successful? What was their version of the Ferrari race car? Again, looking beyond the surface, and going past the obvious conclusions is what leads us to making our most successful placements.
So, there you have it – some key ingredients that make up our secret sauce. If you’re looking for great French/Bilingual talent for your team, give us a call or email us today at: 416-236-3303 or [email protected]. We’re connected to the best talent in the marketplace and we look forward to serving you.