A few years ago, I was being interviewed for an accounting position with a company that was clearly experiencing an administrative crisis. The financial results were not reliable (expenses not recognized in the right quarter or even year), cash flow was strained, invoicing was months in arrears, and there were no financial controls in place.
During the interview, I asked the question "what key skills does this position require now; and how might that differ from what is required long run". I don't think my interviewers understood what I meant because their answer was that there was no difference. As time has gone by I can see that there was a clear need for a different skill set during the crisis and that once processes and controls were in place, a different skill set was needed.
Questions that companies should ask themselves when hiring - particularly if they are in crisis, or if they are creating a new position. What skill set do we need now? What skill set do we need on an on-going basis? What problem are we trying to solve with this hire?
Understanding the answers to those questions will be key to ensuring that the right decision is made. Examining the issue prior to hiring instead of simply saying 'we need to hire an ..." may lead to a very different hiring decision. In the case I referenced, it would have made more sense to hire for the long term skill set and supplement that with a contract person who would lead the company out of crisis and put processes in place.
The business world has and is changing; your staffing decisions need to evolve as well.
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