Recruiting, kefir and pancakes

Case-analogue about recruiting

My wife sent her husband for kefir for pancakes: “Buy 1 liter of kefir with a fat content of 1.5% “X” or “Y” with a shelf life of at least a week from today.”

Probably, kefir of a different fat content would be quite suitable for the hostess for her purposes, and kefir from other manufacturers is not worse than the above, and the shelf life of 5-6 and not 7 days is not very critical. But even if someone has doubts about the validity of such strict requirements for a future purchase, they are unlikely to be discussed.

First, the husband is sent to the store, and not asked for advice on what, in his opinion, kefir should be chosen for pancakes.

Secondly, the husband is unlikely to risk recommending another kefir if his “pancake” experience is limited solely to the consumption of the finished product.

Third, there may not be time for discussion, especially if everyone is hungry.

Therefore, the husband will go to the store and buy what has been ordered, regardless of promotions and sales, for kefir of different fat content and from other manufacturers and with a shelf life of less than a week. Or will not buy, because the required kefir will not be on sale.

Recruitment in 99% of cases

This is the same as described above. If you have an idea of ​​what the “correct kefir” should be, then, of course, there are requirements for the “ideal candidate”.

And they are not discussed for the same reasons as the requirements for kefir:

  • no one asks the recruiter what, in his opinion, “human resource” is better suited for solving the tasks for which they are looking for an employee;
  • the recruiter does not know the content of the job well enough to advise the client;
  • neither the recruiter nor the customer has the time or the desire to assess the labor market and study the content of the work.

As a result, the recruiter is looking for personnel according to the requirements stated by the customer.

Classic Pancakes Recipe - BettyCrocker.com

If the customer has not formulated requirements

The recruiter comes up with them himself, based on his ideas about what the ideal applicant for a vacant position should be. The risk that these requirements turn out to be incorrect is no lower than if they were formulated by the customer. Returning to the “kefir messenger” – there is no guarantee that his general understanding of how pancakes are baked will allow him to make the “right” purchase.

Why people buy Prostokvashino and where do the additional requirements come from

The presence of formal requirements formulated by the customer does not at all exclude the choice by other criteria, the use of which the customer may not even know.

About kefir, the preferences of the “messenger” may look something like this:

  • Kefir “X” tastes better than “Y”.
  • “The packaging design of X is more interesting than that of Y.
  • “I love pictures with cats, so I prefer Y.”

Recruiters, of course, have their own “fad”.

  • “Applicants who do not write resume cover letters are not serious about their job search.”
  • “Those who ask a lot of questions about working conditions have the wrong motivation.”
  • “Specialized education is much more important than specialized work experience without education.”

Requirements all of the above can hardly be called stereotypes and subjective preferences, but the fact that they largely determine the result of selection/selection, hardly anyone will deny.