by EdgeLink on Jan 27, 2011 in Candidate Job Search
by Mike Miadich, Founder and Manager, Contract Services
“Why you????”
How do you differentiate yourself from your competition? Now that’s a common question and a typical answer might be its “our people”, “our relationships”, “our process”, or “our reputation”. Being in a service industry I suppose all these are correct to an extent; however, I’d like to offer deeper dive.
People:
Hire people of character and ability. Character is who you are, defined by your actions; reputation is what others perceive you to be. I follow the “4E +1P” model of hiring from Jack Welch’s book, “Winning” (I highly recommend reading it). Beyond plain old passing the litmus test of hiring for intelligence, maturity, and integrity, we hire people who have the ENERGY to sustain work levels throughout the day, people who have the ability to ENERGIZE others, and are able to make DECISIONS in a timely manner. Those who can EXECUTE in their job function is a distinctive characteristic. In fact, someone can have all the other characteristics, but if they cannot execute they (and you) will suffer. Finally we look for the “p”: people who have PASSION for what we do. An individual who has passion typically has the desire for growth and longevity in their profession. Hire for character and ability consistently you’ll have a team of winning individuals that can deliver.
Process:
Focus on Exceptional Customer Experience. Our mission is to positively impact the lives of the people and companies we touch. It is painted on the walls in both our Portland and Denver offices and is the guiding principle from which we follow. Words have meaning when you live by them. Providing an exceptional customer experience throughout the entire recruiting process is the action we take to meet our mission. This means working hard to source, assess and deliver exciting job opportunities for our candidates, and exceptional candidates for our clients. The process is ever evolving and its how we execute that defines us. When all is said and done, what was the experience felt by all? How can we improve on it?
Relationships:
The human touch–People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. A business relationship starts when people get to know of each other; they form an opinion, view the service offering and compare it alternative choices. Treating people with respect; actively listening, demonstrate honesty and candor, be accessible and communicate effectively. Relationships are developed, deepened and retained over time through trust and competence. People have options; and the opportunity to work with them can be lost at any time.
When it comes down to it, we’re in the service business. We’re expected to provide a service that is of high quality, timely in nature at an affordable cost. But we feel people deserve more. They deserve an experience that is exceptional, they deserve to work with people of character and ability, and in a relationship they can count on time and time again.
Now, might I ask, why you???
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