Alan Hall on the 5 Cs of Hiring

Alan Hall, founder of MarketStar (which employs 2500 people and helped clients sell $8 billion in products last year) gave a great speech at Weber State University in Ogden last Thursday. His presentation was outstanding, and I want to blog about all of it, but one of the take-aways for me was how he recruits and hires the right people.

I took copious notes on my Blackberry and for some reason I can\’t find my notes today. I\’ve tried to find them on my blackberry and can\’t, and I\’ve also searched in my Outlook Notes (which syncs with the Blackberry Memo feature) and can\’t find them there either. I\’ll be so disappointed if they are lost. I\’ll just have to go hear him speak again. He\’s fantastic.

Hiring is something I want to get better at. For Alan, there are 5Cs in hiring/recruiting. Each have equal weight in the equation.

Competence. Most companies hire with about 100% weight on competence. But for Alan, it\’s important, but only part of the equation. If someone is just right for a company, but doesn\’t have the competence for the particular job, they can be trained. But some of the other Cs can\’t be as easily taught.

Capability. This represents how much potential an employee has to grow in their job and be promoted in the future.

Compatibility. For Alan, this has become one of the most important criteria lately. A person has to fit with the team.

Character. Values, ethics, etc.

Commitment. This means that a person will be loyal and dedicated.

Alan says they do a 360 degree interview process, which means that you get references and talk to the candidate\’s former boss, peers, and subordinates. You need to know how the candidate works with others. Always have both men and women interview the candidate, since you get different insights from each.