Hiring for C-Level Talent

The growth of an organization is deeply connected with their team of senior employees, the ones bearing the title of Chief in their job position. Examples include Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO). They are the grain of employees who are responsible for strategizing the policy of the organization and setting its goals.

The C-level employees serve as pillars of an organization. Apart from their role in policy-making and goal-setting, they also actively supervise the performance of the workers and ensure that each of the team members give his best to a job role. The very nature of this job role makes it a critical position for any candidate and, therefore, you should consider every granular detail while finalizing a person.

Here is what you should consider:

Consider Hiring From the Available Grain of In-House Employees

Hiring a C-level employee is a costly job that involves a substantial amount of time and money. In addition, there is a considerable magnitude of work that goes into creating the job ads, arranging the interview and orientation sessions.

All these things consume a sizeable amount of resources. After spending so much on the matter, would you like to hire someone who turns out to be a misfit for the job? Certainly not.

Hiring internally is one of the best ways you can avoid facing the music of a wrong. Truly successful organizations cultivate a culture of consistent growth where each of the employees moves forward to take up more responsibility and advance his career.

Therefore, if you want to hire someone for a C-level position, it is better to give your workers a chance as they are more aware of the office culture and they have the understanding and exposure of your industry. Besides, they will be the far better option to work along with your team as compared to an external hire.

Evaluate the Candidates According to Your Business Type

Every business is different in terms of size and growth. A CTO with an experience in a small enterprise of 100 employees will not necessarily be a good fit for a corporation of more than 10, 000 of workers. Similarly, a CMO working in the apparel industry is not likely an appropriate candidate for the technology business.

What you need to understand is that every business is different in size and it is an influential factor when you want to hire someone for an executive position.

Apply the Topgrading Technique

Topgrading is a trusted hiring procedure that big organizations apply to hire senior level candidates. It involves a set of twelve steps to screen candidates based on specific skills, competencies, and traits. Once the candidates are shortlisted, they are grouped into three categories, namely A players, B players and C players.

The HR manager can then use this information to vet candidates and select the most eligible candidate for the job role.

Don’t Be Impressed by Individual Success

Achievements and awards should not be the only benchmark to measure while vetting the candidates for a senior-level job. Individual success can be a reward for loyalty with individuals and not with the organization as we see in the corporate culture.

What you should in-fact look is the scale of growth the candidate was able to bring to an organization. You should be able to align his success with the growth of the company and find out if he is someone who can scale up your organization.

Hire a Person Who Can Live Up To Your Business Philosophy

Hiring someone for the critical role of the C-level position requires that the person must understand the underlying principles of your business. He should be able to align his thinking with your vision and his actions should demonstrate his agreement with your business philosophy.

Such a candidate will not only help your business grow but he will be able to carry forward the legacy of your organization as well.

Don’t Hire in Haste

Hiring a candidate for the role of CFO, CTO or CMO requires patience. Often, businesses select a wrong hire in a hurry to fill the vacant position. Remember that such senior management positions carry the reins of your business and, therefore, they should be selected after fulfilling all the professional formalities.

However, if you cannot manage to keep the position on hold because of workload, you can find a fill-in from your organization to work as an interim employee until you find the most suitable person for the job. An executive-level employee is too senior a position to waste on someone who turns out to be a misfit. Therefore, you should take your time prior to finalizing the just right person for this job role.

Keep the Subordinates in Confidence

When you hire a c-level candidate, it is important to keep the team in the loop. You should take the manager and team lead on board and have their inputs on the matter. Being senior members of the team, they can share with you the ongoing issues in the department so that you can set an agenda of things to discuss with a prospective candidate and evaluate his thoughts on it.

In this way, you will be able to ascertain the qualities you would expect from a candidate and he will likely be a productive member of the organization.

A C-level employee is an important part of the upper management. Making a blunder in hiring someone for this critical position can result in loss of business. Therefore, you should follow the above-mentioned tips to avoid such a scenario.

Author Bio: Michelle Anderson is a guest writer of this article. She works as a student councilor and Essay Help advisor at an online academic consultancy. Furthermore, she assists MBA graduates to hunt best fit employments.