Hire Finishers!
By: Tim Augustine
Finishers are people who get things done. Here's how you can find and hire them.
In today's competitive business world, organizations that sustain profitability and continue to grow are firms that can attract, hire, and retain finishers. This article will cover methods that you and your firm can use to find and hire people who can get things done.
Through my experience, I have developed a list of characteristics that I feel describe finishers.
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Ability to prioritize tasks and do what really matters
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Ability to make a decision
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Ability to execute
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A clear perception of reality
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Never satisfied with status quo
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Ability to understand deadlines and schedules
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Ability to recognize accomplishments
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Ability to show aptitude
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Practical approach to problem solving
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Proactive
Finishers lead by example and have the drive and tenacity that is contagious to those who surround them. They are reliable and have the ability to build trust within organizations and teams.
Think about the individuals in your organization who you rely on. What makes them dependable? Most importantly, what do you accomplish by having them on your team? Imagine if every hire you made brought the same energy, dedication and enthusiasm to your team!
Finding Finishers
Identifying finishers can often be difficult. To begin your search, I recommend developing a strategy that identifies the skills, knowledge, education, experience, and most importantly the personality and cultural fit of a potential candidate. The most effective source that I have used to identify finishers is internal referrals since finishers often develop a positive reputation. However, other effective sources are recruitment agencies or networking at industry functions. (Refer to my recent Hiring Center article titled "Make Everyone a Recruiter" for more information on sourcing.)
It has been my experience that most resumes describe the individual's job tasks, activities and responsibilities. However, resumes of finishers often illustrate an individual's results and accomplishments. These result-oriented resumes provide a glimpse of the candidate's work ethic, drive and overall value that they can bring to your company. Look for those statements that link an individual's tasks and activities to business results.
Interviewing Finishers
As with any interviewing process, you must first understand the role and responsibilities of an open position and link a candidate's skills and abilities to the position. You need to ask the right questions and look for specific answers during the interview process. Ask open-ended questions that force the candidate to provide examples of how they approached a situation and accomplished the task at hand. Following are some sample questions.
Tell me about yourself?
How organized is the candidate's thought process? What do they feel are their strengths and where can they add value? What motivates them?
How would a previous boss / peer describe you?
Do they describe themselves as reliable, driven, focused and / or results oriented?
It says on your resume that you increased sales by 45%. Describe your strategy.
How did they accomplish their goal? Were they part of a team or the champion? How did they measure the results? What role did they play in the organization?
If we hired you, how would you approach the first 90 days?
What knowledge do they feel is important to be successful? What type of internal relationships do they need to build around them?
These are just a few questions that I find useful during the interview process. Finishers can work independently or through a team. It is important however to find those individuals who can develop a strategy or approach to a problem, implement a well- thought-out plan and measure the results. Often times, I find successful candidates who claim to have accomplished many things but only by surrounding themselves with an excellent team. I am all for teamwork, however, there still needs to be that person who serves as the champion.
Another effective interview technique is to have the candidate give a presentation. Have them develop a short PowerPoint presentation and present it during your next interview. The topic is not important as long as they can do the task.
Integrating Finishers
Once you select and hire your finishers, you need to make sure they are integrated into your organization. I recommend focusing the first 30 days on providing company knowledge, product / service knowledge, process knowledge, organizational structure knowledge, and role and responsibility expectations. Provide a mentor or buddy to ensure efficient integration and provide an opportunity to monitor progress during the first 90 days. Since finishers want to provide immediate value, supply them with critical knowledge that they can use to directly impact your organization. Give them the tools and let them get things done.
