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A series of articles by Samuel R. Staley, Ph.D. on interviewing strategies: Looking for a Job in the Globally Competitive Economy? R-E-S-P-E-C-T Goes a Long Way in a Job Interview
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Looking for a Job in the Globally Competitive Economy? Three Hard but Wise Lessons Taught by Rock Stars By Samuel R. Staley, Ph.D. |
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The last thing viewers are probably thinking about as they watch Rock Star Supernova on CBS is a lesson in human resources management. Yet, anyone going through or managing a top flight interview process would be hard pressed to escape, let alone ignore, the mistakes of job applicants or the unexpectedly wise counsel offered up each week. Employers and business executives, in particular, will quickly recognize the stunningly accurate and level-headed counsel meted out by the interviewers—Dave Navarro, former lead guitarist of Jane’s Addiction, and the hard driving members of a newly created rock band Supernova. For those not familiar with the show, Rock Star chronicles the live performances of and behind-the-scenes ambitions of fifteen wannabe singers vying to be Supernova’s front man (or woman). It builds on the success of its 2005 predecessor which identified a dynamic new front man and lead singer for the band INXS. Although billed as a 13-week audition, in truth Rock Star’s a hard lesson on how to identify and evaluate the next rising star in any business. The lessons are even more prescient for a business fighting it out in a globally competitive services industry, where the skills, talent, and drive of your employees are more important than ever. The live performances, however, are the hook that gets us to watch the show. The substance is the interaction between the rock stars and the fresh meat. And here the lessons are direct, hard, and refreshingly straightforward. When one performer was criticized for bringing the “same performance” to the show each week, she responded by challenging the interviewer: “Isn’t that what you do when you go out on the stage for a performance very week?” “Yes,” responded Navarro, “but I have a gig.” The crowd reacted with the predictable gasps at the apparent slam, but hopefully the performer picked up on the incredibly important point Navarro was hammering home. Job applicants have to bring more to the interview than the job description. If an organization is advertising for a graphics designer, a high performance organization will want more than someone who can perform the mechanics of CAD software. They will want someone who has the versatility, drive, and creativity to use the software to add significant value to the designs they are producing for their clients. Job applicants need to show more than their skills. They need to also show how their potential and ambition will raise their business to another level. That’s how, as an employer, you know you might have the next superstar. That’s how Super Nova will know they have the next front man (or woman). In another case, a singer with a strong blues orientation stumbled through each week. One of Super Nova’s band members encouraged him to branch out to bring his blues intensity to other forms, but his response was to challenge Super Nova to bring more blues (his brand) into their music. Another job interview “no no”. The Super Nova band mates, like all good business executives, know their product, how it fits into their industry, and what they need to do to raise it to the next level. They aren’t hiring someone to change their product. They’re hiring someone with the versatility and intuitive sense of the band’s direction to help them drive it to the multimillion dollar enterprise it can become. Note to job applicants: Know who you are interviewing for and figure out how you fit into the business plan. In an example of a classic case of real talent poorly matched (stylistically) with the job opening, a stunning female performer was faced again with sage advice from Navarro: start working on a solo career. Now! Unfortunately, the live audience may have been more of a hindrance than an asset for the young job applicant. While the audience clearly enjoyed the performance, Navarro and the other band members were both validating her talent and encouraging her to find a venue that would show case that talent. Second note to job applicants: Not all businesses are a good fit for your talents and skills. Don’t waste your time and your potential employer’s time (and money) by trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Find the business with the round holes for the round pegs. Business is about expanding the pie, not redistributing the existing one. Savvy human resource managers (and most business executives) know that. Perhaps this last example is also the most important. Sometimes it’s better to take the advice on the chin and preserve a relationship than try to use a hard-driving style to repel potential employers. On more than one occasion, executives who decided not to hire an applicant have recommended him or her for a different position in another company that was a better fit. In the labor market, and particularly in today’s business world where services are the key to global competitiveness, relationships are critical to business and professional success. Finding the right talent, and making sure the talent can catapult an emerging company into the forefront of its industry, is ultimately what the hiring process is all about. * * * Samuel R. Staley, Ph.D., is a policy analyst with the Los Angeles-based Reason Foundation with almost 20 years of experience hiring (and occasionally “letting go”) people. He is a co-founder and former president of The Buckeye Institute in Columbus, Ohio. |
Michael G. Smith, Executive Recruiter |