Hire more drinkers!

Yes, you read that right. Hire more drinkers!

Oh, wait, slight typo…

I mean, you have got to hire more D.R.I.N.C.K.A.E’s

If I were building new recruitment company today, the only people I would hire, would be D.R.I.N.C.K.A.E’s. And I am pretty sure this is valid across all business in the modern age. Certainly those selling a service, or an idea.

This is what a D.R.I.N.C.K.A.E looks like;

Digital natives: People who ‘get digital’, are comfortable with social media, are great e-sourcers, can find people on the web, and can build relationships online.

Reach: And by ‘reach’, I mean a network. People who know people. People who are connected, and known in a niche. People who may not know all the answers, but they know the people who have the answers, or at least, they know where to find those people.

Intelligence: Hugely underestimated in recruitment, I have found. Intelligence that is. Everyone says recruitment is not ‘rocket science’. True, but it’s not easy either. And in the modern era, clients and candidates just will not deal with dummies. I am talking about intellectual prowess, which earns credibility, but also emotional intelligence. Knowing when to shut up, when to speak, what to say, what not to say.

No dickheads: Sure you can bill, but you are just not that nice to have around. I won’t hire you. Ever.

Content: Yes, the ability to write. Not emails so much, but that’s a bonus. I mean blogs, tweets, status updates, compelling profiles.

Knowledge and niche: Specialisation is the future of recruitment. A mile deep and an inch wide. Credibility through expertise. That’s the way.

Attitude over résumé: Always. I can fill in the gaps in your experience and skills, if you have the right attitude. Hire attitude.

Empathy: I know, crazy word when talking about recruiters. But the days of the arrogant, showy, pushy, superficial recruiter are over. You want great candidates to work with you? You have got to feel their pain, and understand their hot buttons. That is the only way to build an off-line brand, and become a ‘talent magnet’.

So there it is. Throw away your old Job Descriptions. Only hire drinkers.

Sorry, I mean D.R.I.N.C.K.A.E’s

Comment by Will Thomson on July 23, 2013 at 10:42am: Greg, your stuff is classic! Thanks for sharing! Will

Comment by Greg Savage on July 23, 2013 at 11:22am: Thanks Will....

Comment by Curtis Whitler on July 25, 2013 at 4:27am: The skills mentioned in the article fit not only for HR specialists. These are required for most positions today. It looks like everybody likes social drinkaes. Putting the jokes aside, I think it’s a good maneuver to ask a candidate for an HR position to describe their ideal hiring strategy. If a person has an effective and unique plan – 50% of their work is done.

Comment by Barbara Goldman on July 29, 2013 at 1:40pm: Intelligence. Greg, I agree. Intelligence, along with emotional intelligence. Your list is great, and it's the reason that it's extremely hard to hire and train recruiting staff.

Comment by Greg Savage on July 29, 2013 at 6:09pm: Agreed Barbara, people with this blend are exceptionally difficult to find ..but finding them is the path to competitive advantage...

Comment by Chadd Balbi on July 31, 2013 at 8:35am: Great read!

Comment by Emer O'Callaghan on July 31, 2013 at 7:37pm: What an excellent list Greg, thank you. "No dickheads" is spot on - I have added 'no drama queens' to my own list. The trick now is to identify the drinckeas. I agree with Curtis that this list has much broader applicability for a whole range of jobs. I think recruiters in general can over emphasise technical skills at the cost of emotional intelligence. Any ideas on identifying and screening for these elusive creatures?

Comment by Kelly Blokdijk on July 31, 2013 at 11:53pm: Greg: would you be "MY" hiring manager from here on out? This post it spot on.

Really, when you look at the core necessities, it seems simple enough. Yet when you look around all you see are examples of tremendous failure in each of these categories. Ugh!

Every company needs to set higher standards and hold people accountable for demonstrating at least an understanding of why the above matters. ~KB @TalentTalks

Comment by Sam on August 5, 2013 at 12:02pm: Greg: As always you are right on and we as an industry don't do well in internal hiring. Some of the areas we try to compromise by saying they will come up to speed and your gut is saying something else. Yes we all should hire Drinkers! sorry D.R.I.N.C.K.A.E..