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The Right Choice

By Irena Schierjott, Principal Consultant
Region: Hamburg, Northern Germany

Sector focus: Automotive & Mobility

I LOVE TO TALK ABOUT A PROJECT THAT A CLIENT OF MINE GAVE ME ABOUT A HALF-DECADE AGO, AN EXECUTIVE SEARCH ASSIGNMENT. IT WAS MY FIRST PROJECT WITH THE CLIENT AND THIS CLIENT NEEDED TO SELECT THE GLOBAL HEAD OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING. THEY WANTED TO DRIVE A STRONG, RADICAL CHANGE WITH THIS NEW HIRE, AND TO PUSH A LONG-PLANNED “CHANGE PROJECT” FORWARD.
THEY ENLISTED THE HELP OF MU SINCE THE MU EXECUTIVE SEARCH SOLUTION IS BASED ON THE STRENGTH OF THE SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN ASSESSMENT. THEY WANTED THE ASSESSMENT TO BE THE FOUNDATION OF SELECTING A GOOD, STRONG CANDIDATE WHO DRIVES THE CHANGE PROCESS FORWARD AND WHO LEADS A TEAM OF ABOUT 8 DIRECT REPORTS.
THEY COULD NOT AFFORD HIRING THE WRONG PERSON. THIS WAS A FAMILY BUSINESS OF ABOUT EIGHT HUNDRED EMPLOYEES AND THE MARKET SITUATION WAS QUITE CHALLENGING; THERE WAS A LOT OF PRESSURE TO FIND THE RIGHT CANDIDATE FOR THE JOB.
WE STARTED THE PROJECT AND FOUND AND ATTRACTED SEVERAL INTERESTING CANDIDATES. DURING THE FIRST INTERVIEWS THE CLIENT ENJOYED ONE SPECIFIC CANDIDATE AND WAS ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED HE WAS THE RIGHT FIT FOR THE JOB. THE CLIENT HAD A GREAT “GUT FEELING” AFTER SOME GOOD CONVERSATION AND AN EXAMINATION OF HIS EXCELLENT TRACK RECORD. THEY WERE SURE THIS PERSON WOULD BE THE BEST CANDIDATE FOR THE ROLE.
THEN, WE HAD ANOTHER CANDIDATE. THIS ONE WAS QUIETER AND PERHAPS DIDN’T HAVE THE SAME SLAM-DUNK CONNECTION AS THE FIRST CANDIDATE HAD. HENCE, THE CLIENT WANTED TO GO WITH THE FIRST CANDIDATE RIGHT AWAY; THEY SAID, “WE DON’T NEED THE ASSESSMENT; LET’S JUST GO WITH THE FIRST PERSON. WE DO NOT HAVE TIME TO LOOSE.”
I PUSHED BACK AND SAID THIS WAS NOT A GOOD IDEA. I TOLD THEM THAT A GUT FEELING WAS GREAT, BUT THIS WAS A VERY CHALLENGING POSITION; IT WAS MORE IMPORTANT TO STEP BACK AND BRING IN A GENUINELY SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO REALLY GET A VALID UNDERSTANDING OF THE CANDIDATES’ CAPABILITIES AND COMPETENCIES. THEY RELUCTANTLY AGREED, AND WE DID THE ASSESSMENTS ON BOTH THE CANDIDATES.

Having conducted these assessments with the candidates, the client decided to hire the second candidate; he was not a star in the first interview, but he got great results on the assessment and in the final interview. It turned out to be a critical decision for the client; the person worked on a lot of important projects for them and got a ton of positive changes done at the company. Thanks to our scientifically proven assessment we have not been blended by the first impression and a good track record.

Dr. Irena Schierjott, Group Director
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