Mission Five

12/28/2010 11:11 a.m. Boston Wow Thing

We have several customers whom we serve - the participant, the funder and the business partner. To serve all of them effectively I would choose a candidate based on characteristics and behaviors that can be measured. I would design a standard set of questions that would be asked to each applicant to ensure all are being judged on the same criteria. My questions would be deisgned to solicit information by behaviorial and situational inquiries. I will take the position that the candidate has the experience for which we are looking and that is why he/she was selected for the interview. As Mother Henn so articulately stated, it may not necessarily be work development experience, but skills that can be successfully transferred to the work we do.

I would look for someone who has a sense of community. This can manifest itself in several different ways, through actual on the job experience or through an activity that the candidate has done on his/her own time. I would look for someone who takes action to make their world "a better place" and not leave it for someone else to do. This will give me a sense of the candidate's committment to giving back - the recognition that individual contribution, no matter how big or small, can truly make a difference in what we do everyday.

I would look for someone who is accountable for his/her actions - who stands by his/her decisions and even if the decision was not the right decision at the time, someone who will stand up and say, "I did that because I thought..." rather than shifting the blame onto someone else. I used to work for a boss who taught me to put my job on the line everyday, to be passionate about my contributions and not to be afraid to make unpopular decisions if I truly believed it was the right thing to do. (These are, of course, ethical and legal decisions.)

And lastly, I would look for someone who has a sense of urgency and an understanding that what may not be pressing to that person at that time, may be critical to our customers. This would require someone who can juggle many things at one time, has a solid sense of priorities and who can adapt quickly to the situation at hand. Hey, this all sounds like the staff at the office!!!

I would not dismiss candidates if they did not have these qualities as they are still part of the candidate pool, but they would not be the candidates in contention.

I would not consider candidates who come across as clock watchers because many times you get the call at home for assistance with a resume, or a business partner who wants to see an applicant asap, or a pariticpant who has some questions because they've just scored an invterview for the next day.

Candidates who like things nice and tidy with a strict routine would probably not be the best fit as we are dealing with life and we need to think and be able to adapt quickly for positive results.