Activity 4: Hold exploration conversations with hiring decision makers
Inside the minds of Hiring Decision Makers
To succeed today, organizations must continuously strive to:

Deliver flawless products or services

Innovate to create new products & services at least as fast as competitors

Bond with customers, by delivering superior product performance, customer
service, price or value, speed, convenience, responsiveness, etc.

Trim all forms of cost and waste from every corner of the business

Quickly solve problems, and then prevent them from occurring again

Fully leverage the capabilities that the latest technology offers

Anticipate & adapt to rapidly changing environments & circumstances

Shift everyone into “continuous learning” mode

Instill leadership at all levels of the organization, in ways that fully engage all
employees & unlock their discretionary effort & creativity

Nurture teamwork and collaboration that results in 1+1=3 synergy across the
entire organization
Three Levels of Hiring Decision Makers
What conducting outreach to open employment doors for job-seeking veterans, you may
encounter three groups of hiring decision makers, each with their own concerns and
priorities
Senior Leadership
President or VP or a smaller company, or manager or director of a factory, store, or
facility
Primary concerns: Profitability, growth, over-all competitiveness, company-wide
challenges, other “strategic” issues.
It may be difficult to get an appointment with them, but if you do, they can connect you
with other decision makers in the organization. Except in the smaller organizations, they
won’t make hiring decisions by themselves.
HR staff
Primary concerns: Meeting the personnel needs of the organization, hiring efficiency,
complying with federal and state employment laws during the hiring process, including
affirmative action.
They may not have the final authority to hire, but they’re usually involved in the hiring
process.
When “cold calling" a business, they’re often your point of entry. They can facilitate
access to both senior leadership and supervisors.
Supervisors
Primary concerns: Day-to-day operational effectiveness and efficiency, and thus the
technical capabilities and soft skills of job candidates. They really want to avoid a bad
hire, since problem employees can cause them endless aggravation.
In a well-run organization, they are usually involved in the hiring process, and often
cast the deciding vote.