„Who: the A method for hiring”
Autorzy: Geoff Smart, Randy Street
„The most important decisions that businesspeople make are not what decisions, but who decisions”
Jim Collins, autor „Good to Great”
What is this book about?
The book presents a comprehensive method of recruitment and covers the entire process: from the correct definition of the role, through sourcing, selection and finalization of the contract with a given candidate.
The method described in the book is called the “A Method”. The letter “A” in the name refers to the way the authors refer to the most suitable candidates – the “A Players”. It is worth emphasizing that it is not so much about the “abstract” best people in the industry, but about the best candidates for a specific position (“a candidate who has at least a 90% chance of achieving a set of outcomes that only the top 10% of possible candidates could achieve ”).
The probability of obtaining the desired results at the level of 90% is very high, especially considering that the numerous studies available show that the accuracy of decisions made in recruitment processes is at the level of 50% – that is, at the level of the coin toss.
Is 90% a realistic result, then? In my opinion, absolutely. The recruitment process designed in this way, as presented in the book, greatly increases the quality of recruitment decisions and the number given by the Authors is achievable.
The most interesting bits:
I would distinguish 3 areas which, in my opinion, are particularly valuable:
- „Voodoo hiring”
Ineffective recruitment techniques, which are still very common and which are the source of cognitive errors, have been diagnosed very accurately. I believe that the name “vodoo hiring” is eminently appropriate in this context.
- Defining the position
Despite the fact that in recent years there has been a significant improvement in the quality of prepared job descriptions (it is not just a list of requirements), there is still a lot to be done in this matter. Still, the vast majority of companies do not pay enough attention to precisely defining the position, which is usually prepared on a too general level. This is the source of all further problems, because without a thorough understanding of the essence of the role (its priorities, challenges, company/department culture) it is difficult to match the right person to this role. Correct definition of the position influences the entire process, especially the interview itself. The way of defining the role presented in the book together with the presented interview technique (“Focused Interview”) is, in my opinion, a very effective “combo” and even the use of these two techniques will significantly improve the quality of each recruitment.
- How to collect references
Collecting references is like decrypting an Enigma code where no word is what it seems. The authors put a lot of emphasis on references and describe an effective way of collecting them. They give a lot of technical advice, including specific questions. I believe that the value of this chapter is special because references are now collected less frequently, and when they are, their informative value is often small. Here they really show how to do it properly.
Who is this book for?
Despite the fact that the book has a slightly technical aftertaste (it cannot be otherwise – although it contains numerous business cases, it is mainly a description of the method, therefore it must be written in technical language), I think that it will be more appropriate for managerial positions than for representatives of HR departments. For the latter, it may be a source of inspiration, but in principle, the implementation of the method presented in the book is impossible without the full involvement of operational managers. Therefore, if you are the CEO or manage a specific department and would like to build the best possible team, the presented method will certainly be useful.
The method presented in the book can also be perfectly used in the case of large transformation processes (merger of two organizations, acquisition of a company by a Private Equity fund, etc.) that require the reconstruction of existing teams. The presented method can improve the identification of the most important business needs and help in matching the right people to them.
Summing up: I rate this position very highly. It is written in a clear and consistent manner. You can tell, that it was written by practitioners, because it has a highly implementing character. And although the book is not very new (published in 2008), in my opinion, it is one of the strongest positions on effective recruitment.
