LinkedIn is a great tool for recruiters and hiring managers to identify potential talent. But, like a resume, LinkedIn profiles are considered marketing material, not a full list of accomplishments, results, failures, and lessons, limited to career highlights used by people to promote themselves. Like a resume, LinkedIn profiles are marketing pieces candidates use to stand out.
Leadership Candidates now hire consultants to create content for their LinkedIn profiles. You only see what people want you to see on their LinkedIn profile. These profiles are limiting, and you can’t assess a whole person from what is presented in a LinkedIn profile alone.
Resumes have the same limitation –they are tools to market one’s skills. While there may be some truth to what is written, it must be investigated and verified. A phone interview will give you some indication of capacity, energy, and how the candidate communicates and thinks. Yet, this, too is a partial assessment.
The in-person interview allows you to assess chemistry, learn how this person interfaces with others, how they think, solve problems and work within a team. You can assess energy level, judgment, and some leadership capabilities. You need to meet candidates more than once and in different circumstances to be able to assess them fully. References are often the best source for verifying the information you collect.
This is why meeting people personally and formally interviewing and evaluating them is important. You want to have a feel for who they are as a person. Most importantly, you want to a of glimpse what they are like to work with. High-performing companies not only hire high performers, but they also focus on cultural fit.
Items to Investigate in the interview:
Timelines – Did the candidate perform well in their previous position? What challenges did the business overcome? What specific contributions did the candidate make?
Investigate the details of what the person did with whom and what resulted.
How does this person specifically motivate and lead?
What accomplishments are they most proud of?
This is part of the value a seasoned recruiter brings to you and your company. We understand how the right people influence the success of a company. We follow strong-performing companies and their key players. Strong recruiters also develop relationships with great leadership performers, like following top athletes on professional sports teams. Furthermore, recruiters spend most of their time vetting and calibrating talent. We assess people, vette them to separate the wheat from the chaff, and only present top performers to our clients.
