The Two Sides of Careers3 min read

In any job opportunity there are two sides – the employer and potential employee.  Much is made of the process of looking for a job and getting hired, but we often overlook the employer’s task of finding the right person for a position.

Anyone working in any job will have been a part of this process at some point – whether you are the person searching for candidates, or one of the candidates making yourself as attractive as possible.

In this month’s issue of IGPN we try to balance careers knowledge and assistance not only for people on the hunt for their perfect job, but for those on the hunt for the perfect person as well.

PGA Professionals will all at some time in their career be on both sides – trying to find the right position for themselves to advance their career forward, whilst also looking to create teams that they can work with to be as effective as possible.  But you don’t necessarily have to wait until you’re the boss to get benefit from learning about the hiring process.

Inside this issue you’ll find out how to perform well in interviews with various techniques including controlling body language, how to invest in your career, and how to organise your job search.  But you’ll also find out how to make sure a potential hire fits in to your business’ culture and how to work out what factors matter most to you when hiring a new team member.

All of these things can be useful on both sides – as someone looking for a job, how useful would it be to have an insight into what someone might be looking for?  And as an employer, would it be useful to know what the body language of candidates is saying to you?  With any potential position it’s important to ensure both parties look at it from both sides to get the most out of it and ensure the right person gets hired for the right job.

I’ve learnt that in the golf industry where quite often we’re selling people (it’s the same for coaching in many ways), that recruiting the right people who are going to fit in means not only will the business thrive but they will be happier and a darn sight easier to manage thus freeing up your time for other things.

I have also spoken before in about attitude over experience – ideally you would have both but I would always lean towards attitude if the context is right. It is far more difficult to try and shape the wrong person than get the right person in the first place.  Tools such as in-interview tasks where candidates perform a real-world task actually in the environment they might work in, or psychometric testing are things I have found useful in identifying the right people.

With PGA Professionals continuously rising to the top of businesses the importance of knowing how to hire and how to get hired has never been more important.  Hopefully this month’s IGPN will go some way at least to helping you achieve the most you can in your career and ensure the team around you is the most effective for the job and everyone’s well-being.

This article originally featured in International Golf Pro News. Visit the IGPN Page to find out more and subscribe for free.