Steven B. McKinney
McKinney Consulting, Inc.

Factors Don't Lie. 

Deciding whether to take a job is one of the most difficult decisions a job seeker can make. Likewise, deciding whether to hire a candidate is equally difficult and equally important for the hiring company. As the hiring process progresses, companies and candidates both go through the difficult dance of evaluating each other for fit. We all do it pretty much the same way - we examine the factors surrounding the opportunity and determine if the candidate or job meets those factors. The more factors we think are satisfied the more attractive the candidate appears and the more potential the job appears to have. Logically, it should follow then, that mastering the factors would maximize our chances of success, both in hiring and in searching. If we can get the factors to work in our favor then we should be able to maximize fit and make an average job into a good job and a good job into a great one. Creating a job's potential requires taking control of the factors that matter the most.   Read on

In order to take control of the factors one must understand them. Some factors are more important than others and they will not be the same for each stakeholder. Also, realize that most factors are dynamic, meaning that they move and change. None of the factors exist independently in their own world. They are all tied together, like with rubber bands, so that when one is pulled or pushed, all the others are affected as well.  Realizing that is half-way to understanding that you need to think holistically about what you want. You can't take a lot of one factor without a lot of give in another.

Each factor is a two-sided coin. On one side is how much attention the company is willing to offer that factor, on the other is how much attention the candidates think the factor should get.  For a complete understanding to ever occur between both sides, both parties, are going to first have to understand and define what each factor means to them. Both sides are going to have to come to grips with the complexity involved and really define what each factor means to them personally – without worrying about what it means to the other side. This is the only way each party can be completely honest with themselves, and honesty is what is needed here.

The Jobseeker – How not to lie to yourself – have discipline.
Some factors will have greater meaning to one jobseeker than to another jobseeker, so there are no absolutes in determining what combination of factors will attract the desired candidates. Hiring managers are not mind readers – the job seeker must convey which factors are important to him or her.  Of course, desirability of factors can’t be conveyed if it is not truly comprehended by the individual in the first place. The jobseeker must take his or her list of factors and rank them from the highest to the least important.  He should then choose the 4 or 5 factors that he can’t live without and discard the rest. To obtain the factors that really matter, he should be willing to compromise on those that don’t really matter. They are just noise.  He should choose the 4 or 5 he can’t live without and stand by them through thick and thin.  Thick may include offers that include nice perks and bonuses in the factors that the candidate has already decided don’t matter. That job may be a great job – just not for this candidate.

The Company – How not to delude yourself – look in the mirror.
To the company knowing the factors that mean the most to the type of jobseeker they are searching for is critical. Focusing on offering things attractive to the candidates the company really wants ensures the company is not fighting against itself.  This sounds easier than it actually is. The company must first ask itself, “What kind of people do we want?” Then, because companies have a habit of wanting things they don’t really want, “Do we really want this kind of person?” And lastly, gazing deeply into the mirror, “Does this kind of person want to be wanted by us?” Companies can know the answer to the last question by looking at the people already filling their seats. After all, no matter what the boss may say, the company wants the people working there today. The evidence is incontrovertible.

Now that the company has decided who it wants to hire it needs to find out what factors bring that desired ideal candidate. The offer factors must reflect the desires of the company and not be in conflict with everything else the company stands for. If there is a conflict between what the company is offering and what the company is, the candidate is left nervously wondering why, with the offer being so good, he can’t bring himself to say yes.  The company, the hiring desires, and the offered factors must all be in alignment.

Money is not enough.
According to a recent Gallup Poll about 20 percent of the US workforce intends on changing jobs this year; and approximately 24 percent would fire their boss if they had the chance. Also, consider that roughly 18 percent of U.S. workers describe themselves as "disengaged" - and they'll cost employers more than $382 billion this year in lost productivity.

It's not about the money. These employees say 70 percent of their job satisfaction comes from their perceived value and support in the workplace, while only 2 percent depends on their paychecks and benefits.

Too often companies rush into hiring with only a short term view of the factors. Job seekers often jump at the first job to offer a good package without knowing if what is being offered really matters. Hastily making a decision without what I call “Human Due Diligence” is at best reckless. The job's potential is determined by how well you have taken control of the factors.

Steven B. McKinney is a Certified Master Coach in Behavioral Coaching and President of McKinney Consulting Inc., an executive search and leadership consulting firm and the partner firm in Korea for IMD International Search and Consulting which has over 150 Consultants in over 40 offices globally. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or at www.mckinneyconsulting.com