Ask any recruiter what the issue is in Talent Acquisition, and they’re not going to say a lack of qualified applicants.

The issue is the “hiring manager.” Who is the hiring manager? Generally it’s some guy without the authority to pick up the tab for the pizza party with prior auth, but for some reason, you – as an executive – have giving him carte blanche to 1) represent your company and brand with zero training and 2) spend hundreds of thousands of company dollars to hire people for your organization with zero oversight, training, or feedback.

If your hiring managers utter any of these statements, fire ’em…….

“We can’t find anyone with the skill (combo) we need…”

Clear sign of an arrogant, out-of-touch manager who feels that he’s deserving of talent that he cannot afford or, worse, talent that simply doesn’t exist.

In tech, it’s the principal architect/project manager combo, closely followed by the architect/Biz Dev combo, or the developer/SE combo. In other words, you want two for one, but can only pay for one at 30% below market. I’m going to keep hitting on the prettiest girl at the dance rather than face reality that some people are simply out of my league….

#redpillcorp #alphadog #unicornhunter

“I need someone who can get along with <well-known PITA>

Clear sign of a manager who cannot manage (which calls into question why TF they’re even there).

I see this scenario repeated again and again, and it’s indicative of a toxic workplace. Talent, integrity, and hard work are second to the ability to put up with the abuse of an irrational, entitled bully. Yeah, so this is the third <decentperson> who’s quit in the last 6 months, but I don’t have time to replace the real problem (plus, I’d have to do ALL the work to replace him, and have to admit to MY boss that I fd-up with this hire, so that’s a hard No for me).

Easiest solution for lazy managers: Find someone with so little self-respect, or so little cash in their bank account that they’ll take this shit job and be abused for rent, food, and health insurance. (Hint: Look for single mothers, or men with young families. They’re the most easily exploited.) After we hire that sucker, it’ll get about six months-to-a-year of peace before the complaints start again. But, whateverrrrr – at least it’s not MY problem….

#doormatsonly #sychophants

“We don’t need someone that Senior”

The greatest annoyance of every single recruiter out there. They bring in great people, only to get push back from a crony hiring manager with nepo-baby credentials.

Pull the LinkedIns of your last six hires. If none of them possess a single credential that is better or deeper than the hiring manager, you know gatekeeping is a problem. Be assured that compliance is more important than competence. Be assured that competence isn’t always compliant…

When an organization values sycophants more than innovators, you’re heading down the road to perdition.

#BankruptcyCameOuttaNowhere #fearbasedleadership

“We need someone who will do what they’re told….”

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard this statement uttered behind closed doors. Generally, this follows HR counseling and complaints, or even a lawsuit, because the organization retaliated against a worker complaint, or PIPed out yet another strong performer for calling out organizational issues and outshining the master.

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Your job isn’t going to be replaced by AI, your job is going to be replaced by someone who can hire and manage a team. If you’re struggling to find talent (and you’re 100% sure it’s not a compensation or RTO ), replace your hiring manager with an unbiased, cross-functional hiring team. You’ll be stunned by how quickly things turn around…

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