What Role Can We Create for Her?

Increasingly, companies are finding they have to think outside the job description to acquire talent.

This sometimes involves becoming more flexible, with regard to workplace location or work hours, or adding/subtracting position responsibilities. In some instances, however, it may involve tossing aside the job description and creating a role specifically for a candidate.
Although the process is not widespread – or perhaps just not widely discussed – it appears to be catching on.

Why Go There

And with good reason … make that reasons.
When you find a candidate who is a perfect fit for the organization—one with the right combination of skills, drive, and enthusiasm—you don’t want to let that purple squirrel get away.
Worse, you don’t want him or her working for your competitor.
FootBridge Energy Services, a provider of staffing solutions for the energy industry, cites several reasons to create a role for a stellar candidate, including “scooping” the competition.
The firm also points out that, by creating a role, you get the talent you need. Additionally, Footbridge notes that an exceptional candidate can “supercharge your team’s engagement, productivity, and results.”
Smith Hanley Associates, a data science, pharmaceutical, and actuarial science recruitment agency, also advocates for creating a role for a terrific candidate, indicating that “being proactive in hiring can give you an advantage in hiring the industry’s best talent.”

Things to Consider

Nevertheless, Smith Hanley recommends that, before moving forward, a company consider the decision carefully.
The firm advises looking at what impact the new role would have on business growth, and how the role or person would help you meet company goals.
Additionally, recruiting best practices apply, including identifying what skills the candidate possesses that would make the person a fit for the organization.
Finally—and this is an important consideration—Smith Hanley recommends that you evaluate how the candidate’s expertise would help grow the company, possibly in a new or unplanned direction.
Naturally, this presumes you are flexible and open to the changes a new role might bring to your company. If the new role doesn’t align with company goals or could cause chaos, it may be best to pass … or create a different position.

Possible Concerns

Companies sometimes worry that by creating a new role they are setting a precedent. They may also be concerned that the candidate will begin her or his tenure with the company with the mindset “they wanted me so much that they created a job for me.”
Both concerns are largely unfounded.
A company chooses when, and if, to create future new roles. As for the candidate’s mindset, remember, this is a stellar candidate, one who already knows her or his value in today’s employment marketplace.

Paula Santonocito, Contributing Editor for Recruiting Daily Advisor, is a business journalist specializing in employment issues. She is the author of more than 1,000 articles on a wide range of human resource and career topics, with an emphasis on recruiting and hiring. Her articles have been featured in many global and domestic publications and information outlets, referenced in academic and legal publications as well as books, and translated into several languages.