The secrets behind talents companies crave

Abstract

This research is aimed at identifying the features of ‘talented candidates’ sought after by professional human resources and recruiters in major companies. First, this research investigated how they perceive potential candidates by examining various standards with which candidates are evaluated in recruiting process. Various perceptions of ‘talented candidates’ was summarized into a questionnaire of 99 Q statements. The participants were then responded into ‘who you want to recruit’ and ‘who you don't want to recruit.’ The responses were subsequently subdivided by factor analysis employing the Q- Methodology. Wide perception of people’s for ‘talented candidate’ can be epitomized into a person who generates hard results, leads co-workers, and remains loyal to the organization with a proper dose of balance in professional life. They all seemed to embody the properties of a ‘passionate CEO’, an ‘eminent field expert’, or a ‘trophy-winning consultant’. To the contrary, the images of candidates unwanted by companies could be associated with the features of workers being laid off. These were a ‘couch potato with a sigh’, a ‘barely-surviver’ or ‘greedy-for-security’. Further subdividing those wanted and unwanted by companies leads to 6 categories of talents. Those wanted by companies were categorized into: ‘earlier company founder’, ‘corporate-fitter’, and ‘contract-based’. Those unwanted by companies were categorized into: ‘always-being-sacrificed’, ‘spec-builder’, and ‘need-based employee’. The categorization made clear there is a difference between talents companies crave and talents wanting to be hired, which reveals a dichotomy between a candidate and a recruiter. In the case of professional HR officials and recruiters, it was clear that a candidate with certain predispositions at company side for company were wanted more.