Blog
Oct 31, 2022
Three Things to Keep in Mind When Recruiting Proposal Professionals
by Kevin A. Switaj
Staffing a proposal organization is always tough. A successful person requires, as Liam Neeson said, “a very particular set of skills.” But beyond that, the very nature of the bid process requires a cultural and personality fit more than most positions. In today’s tight job market, it is more important than ever to find the right resource who will be with your team not just now but into the future. How can you do your best to find the right person? Here’s three tips from our team of experienced proposal and recruitment professionals to help your organization succeed.
Be Sure to Ask the Right Questions. A résumé only tells you so much about a candidate. Interviews help bridge the gap between the written content and the actual person. However, knowing what to ask in an interview is the key to identifying the right candidate. Focus your questions on what you need the person to do to be successful. Questions should be about behavior, not skills or capabilities. I am a huge fan of Manager Tools, which provides tips and guidance on how to successfully lead teams and organizations. They break the interview question into three parts:
- The Lead – this provides the candidate with what we expect of them in the job. It is a description of a regular requirement of the position.
- The “Why” – for me, this is the interesting nuance in the Manager Tools approach. They prompt the interviewee to provide a narrative and discuss a situation and occurrence when they’ve dealt with a similar issue.
- The Behavior – this is where we get to the core of what we are looking for.
An example relevant to most proposal organizations, therefore, would be:
[PART 1] Sometimes we have to work closely on a bid with someone who does not meet our deadlines. [PART 2] Tell me about a time [PART 3] when you worked with someone who did not respect the schedule.
For more on this type of questioning, and its benefits, listen to the Manager Tools’ podcast “How to Create a Simple Behavioral Interview Question.”
Will They Fit With Your Team? One of the hardest things to do is determine if the candidate in front of you, who you have only met once or twice, will be a lasting, positive fit within your organization. Will their communication style fit within the team? Will they work well with the contributors in your larger company? Can they put in the time, effort, and hours required to be successful and enable team success? The first way to address this is to use behavioral questions (as discussed above) to ensure their approach and examples match with what would work in your organization. Secondly, having a candidate interview with multiple team members can help identify people who would be good fits and those who may struggle in the team. We recommend having at least two people in your team (and preferably three) directly interview a candidate separately. Your team should use the same basic questions, although some different phrasing might help to keep a candidate from simply repeating the same answer. After the interviews are over, meet as a group to evaluate the candidate as a whole. If you have a small team or are a single person shop, ask others familiar with the proposal process to do an interview as well. The collective impressions should minimize risk of a poor fit.
Is it the Right Fit for Them? Filling an open position is a two-way street. Not only must the candidate be a good fit for your organization, the job and culture needs to be a good fit for them. We do not want to hire someone who is unhappy or a poor fit – it’s a waste of our time and resources and results in increased turnover.
Therefore, be open in your interview. Tell the candidate what you expect, how your company works, and any other information that could influence their decision (either positively or negatively). Give thoughtful, honest answers to any questions they ask. By being clear and open throughout the interview, the candidate will respect you and, in turn, be honest with both you and themselves.
Conclusion. Finding the perfect candidate for open positions is a challenge. By going into the process with open eyes and a clear mind, you can find the unicorn you need to increase your team’s capabilities and success.
Did you know BZ now provides recruiting support for proposal development professionals? Learn more below!
