Precision  is required for hiring the perfect job candidate:

Long gone is the notion of extended on-the-job training (OJT).  Competition is fierce and companies do not have time for the slow roll of OJT.  Furthermore, most lack the bandwidth among team members to provide hands-on training for long periods of time given the streamlining of resources in recent years.

We live in an era of precise hiring to meet specific needs.  I’m talking about every client’s patience – even in a hot job market, to hire to exacting standards.  The last time we had a hot market in Silicon Valley, if you had a pulse, you were placed.  Not so today.  Companies cannot afford hiring mistakes of the past and are demonstrating their willingness to hold out for the perfect candidate.

So what is the perfect job candidate?  The punch list is broad yet specific.  Candidates must meet 90+% of the criteria stated in the job description – experience , qualifications and education, to even be considered for a phone interview with a recruiter.

To go further and actually be presented to the hiring manager to have a shot at landing the role, candidates must meet the rest of the precise fit factors:

1. You know what you want.  You’re clear about what you love doing and this role fits in with your career plans.  No one wants to place you in a role that you’re not interested in at a level deeper than the paycheck.
2. You exhibit passion.  You have an enthusiasm and interest about your own work and that of the company.  If you don’t like what you do and have no interest in what the company does, you’re going to be hard to motivate.
3. You are intelligent.  You’ve done your homework, know what you’re talking about, stay on point and ask relevant questions.  You’re dead on arrival if you can’t demonstrate sound thinking in the interview process.
4. You play well with others.  You’re someone who listens well, shares ideas, and can collaborate effectively with others.  There is no room for the lone wolf in the work place!
5. You have personality.  More than a pulse, you have a vibe about you that people enjoy and want to be around.  That does not mean you have to be extroverted.  Plenty of introverted people I know have great style and personality.  It means you have some kind of desired presence.

We screen candidates against all of these factors, plus a few more that are part of our secret sauce to recruiting!

Tell us about any special fit factors you might use by joining the conversation on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/thepacheragroup