Scott Simon, President of BetterHire, has earned the reputation as a positive change agent — by finding the Technology, Management, and Sales talent that helps build competitive organizations into industry leaders.
Scott’s clients hire him to find and recruit the kind of people who 1) understand what makes organizations successful, and 2) offer the technical and leadership skills needed to rapidly achieve success through digital development, innovation, and organizational transformation. Scott’s proven formula, The BetterHire Talent Hierarchy, has helped hundreds of organizations recognize — and reap — the value of their most critical hires.
BA: We hear that attracting technical talent is a struggle for many companies. What do you think is the most significant contributor is to this issue?
Scott: Companies are facing challenging digital transformation and new development projects that come with aggressive schedules and expectations. They are under pressure to evolve and innovate, now, not in the future. So, I don’t think there is one biggest contributor; there are several. Business transformation, economic factors, finding talent experienced in the latest technology, and even company culture are impacting the recruitment and hiring of top people. But to be honest, finding the right person to hire – the one who can “run with the ball” – is always going to be tough.
BA: Digital transformation is driving the demand for technical talent. Is it also impacting other areas of the business?
Scott: Customers and business partners are demanding well-orchestrated and delivered customers experiences and higher value. The business transformation wave is impacting every area of business. Successful companies of the future are those that recognize that leaders must have a clear vision of value creation and delivery. They’ll seize talent that can manage the transformation process and also envision the business post-transformation. The addition of this talent is not an addition to a business, as in 1 + 1, but are multipliers. They can bring a multiplication force to a company.
BA: How do you identify this type of talent – the person who isn’t an addition, but a multiplier?
Scott: I think it starts with attitude. Obviously, they must have technical talent and experience, but the attitude and the desire to drive transformation may be more important. You can see this in a sales VP that understands the acceleration of growth can be the result of improved customer acquisition models or a CIO that recognizes that better data analysis could lead to the development of new markets. These people are business transformers, and while technical skills may be the common denominator, it’s their soft skills that give them their competitive advantage.
BA: Those are incredibly valued people, and I’m sure many companies would love to hire this type of person. Why would those people move if they are already in a good position?
Scott: This caliber of talent wants to make an impact. They are looking for opportunities to dramatically change a company’s trajectory. Far along in their career, only challenging positions appeal to them.
BA: Ok let’s say the company finds them. What will keep them from joining us?
Scott: Your best question. Half of the battle is the search and then the other half is making the case for them to join. And usually it’s not the money. The transforming talent you’re looking for has a great sense of alignment. If a company’s culture, strategy, and technology don’t sync up, it’s hard to make the case. But when your candidate can see alignment, you’ve minimized his risk and you’ve increased your chance for success.
