Named to the Forbes Next 1000 in 2021 and a Fortune Great Place to Work company leader, Mike Fitzsimmons is its CEO Crosschuck,
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Anyone who has taken Psychology 101 has probably learned about the work of sociologist Charles Horton Cooley. He introduced the concept of the “looking-glass self”, which states that our self-image is formed through others’ views of us. The Looking Glass has three main components: imagining how we appear to others, imagining how others judge our appearance, and how we develop our self through these judgments of others. .
According to an article by Lesley University, “Using social interaction as a kind of ‘mirror,’ people use the judgments they receive from others to measure their own worth, values, and behavior.”
In practical terms, let’s say you meet a co-worker for the first time. You meet in a conference room and “size up” each other visually. This is followed by a firm handshake, but no eye contact. Your new “friend” immediately scans the room looking for another conversation. Signals were sent by both individuals, yet not all of them were confirmed.
In the workplace, the looking glass model can create destructive or constructive moments. In my opinion, there is no better example of where this works than technical recruiting. Judging others against yourself is unproductive and rarely results in the right hires. Hiring managers, corporate recruiters, and job candidates stumble when they base their sense of self on how others perceive them. Let’s consider why this is so.
• A clamor for feedback before, during and after the interview process Candidate, It is common for them to seek social recognition by trying to present themselves in a way that makes them the preferred candidate.
Keep in mind that the candidate you qualified through email and telephone interviews may not be the same person who shows up in person. Managing emotional balance – especially when the fear of rejection is high – is not necessarily a skill employers are measuring, but given the mediums in which candidates exist, it should be.
• How many hiring managers Have you met people over the years who tell you they don’t need help from HR because they go their own way? More likely, they are falling into the “mirror, mirror” syndrome that Cooley highlighted. Agreeable job candidates fail to create self-doubt and, in fact, create a feeling of confidence and satisfaction for the interviewer. This does not make them the right choice, nor is it a desirable dynamic.
• Ironically, employers And candidates share a similar emotional connection: a fear of rejection, even to the point of feeling like a personal attack. Being a recruiter is a stressful job, requiring skills that include project management; Ability to build and nurture relationships; and consistently meeting deadlines, goals, and expectations. Equipping recruiters with tools that generate reliable insights increases productivity, improves clarity, and reduces burnout.
Going back to the self-looking mirror, one’s perception of others’ judgment can be harmful and inaccurate. For example, candidates who think that others admire their sales skills (even if they fail to achieve quota) will continue to apply for jobs in which they cannot succeed. The hiring manager who believes others are impressed by their communication skills may fail to listen to the advice of their talent acquisition team. Taking this a step further, “impression management” can be a conscious or unconscious effort to project a desired image that results in favorable judgments.
How do you navigate the dance of assumptions and decisions in a technical recruiting environment, where top talent is often only available for 10 days before accepting an offer? You don’t need to redefine your entire recruiting process, which is close to impossible unless you’re starting from scratch for the first time. Simple changes can generate valuable data that can enhance or replace decisions based on assumptions.
For example, early in the hiring process, checking references long before making an offer reveals red flags that could eliminate “impression management” candidates while standardizing the application process so hiring managers can tell the truth. Versus working from a source of intuition.
Taking it a step further, candidate self-assessments give applicants a chance to explain what makes them a good choice and, when reaching out to people who have experience working with them, to understand the fit. Clear understanding arises.
The bottom line is that predicting business results cannot be achieved through the whims of personal decisions, opinions or observations. Looking Glass “Mirroring” Doesn’t Work: In the case of recruiting tech talent, the difference between sensory human perception and objective cognitive reality can be the difference between making a mediocre hire and making a great hire.
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