Does Your Candidate Have the Right Motivations for a Career Move?

Here at Highline, we meet with hundreds of potential candidates during an executive search. Some surprise us, some disappoint, and some are exactly what we expected them to be. However, all of them have some sort of motivators that are inevitably driving them to seek out a new position. When you’re getting to the heart of what makes a really great candidate, it’s often less about the jobs they’ve held or the teams they led, and more about why they chose to have this conversation with us..

Last week, I shared the story of the farmer and the horse as a cautionary tale for any manager who doesn’t take the time to ask a candidate what might motivate them to a new position. During the executive search, there’s a natural progression there, and it begins with establishing a dialogue and asking questions. These aren’t laid back, casual conversations. We might be a little insistent, or pushy. In fact, most of the time we’re interrupting them to make sure we get the answers we need. The first and most important of these queries is, “Would you have an interest in staying aware of an opportunity that might better fit your abilities?” If they answer in the affirmative, the same four-word question always follows, “Could I ask why?” These four words can root out those ultra-important motivators, and let us know if someone is driven by boredom, by greed, or by passion.

Let’s start off with boredom and greed. Being in a passive and uninspiring work environment is always a major drag, especially for elite performers. These are high effort people with high aspirations, and they deserve an employer that will value their abilities and provide them with opportunities to shine. However, if this is an individual who has alerts set up on their phone for every new opening, or someone who just wants to make more money, or tells you that they think their boss is a jerk, those are some big red flags. In short, these are bad motivators. But, someone who knows that they’re capable of more and feels limited in their current surroundings could easily have that spark and passion that Mike and I are always searching for.

In general, there are four good motivators that we want to find in a potential executive candidate. While there are definitely others to consider, we for sure want to hone in on these factors.

1. There is no upward momentum at my current job.

This could be due to a number of reasons. There may not be a lot of new opportunities or challenges for the executive, or they could be stifled by a difficult approval process from upper management. There might even be another executive at the position directly above them with seniority or no interest in changing positions. For whatever reason, though, they’ve realized that the chance for moving up the ladder to a more tantalizing job isn’t happening anytime soon. That means they are ready to find their next step up elsewhere, and will have serious focus when the right fitting position opens up for them.

2. The commute is too difficult for my family.

When you’re 28 and without any children, driving an hour into the city and an hour back at night probably didn’t seem like a huge deal. Sure, traffic is always a hassle and having to leave early in the morning is never fun, but you traded convenience for the exciting chance to work in a field you feel passionate about. But when you’re nearing 40 and suddenly you and your partner have a 6-year old and another on the way, that’s two hours of time you could be spending making memories with your children. We respect the hell out of that, and a person dedicated to their family is going to want a position that provides them the chance to chase their dreams while also watching the kids grow up. This takes someone from being merely interested to highly motivated for a new position.

3. My current work environment is negative.

We’re not looking for someone complaining about their boss or the interns. A negative work environment means that employees are uncomfortable or upper management is in disarray. In short, they’re being impeded by others’ actions or behaviors. Sears, a 125-year old company, has recently been bought out, and that’s left a lot of talented employees without a home. Through no fault of their own, these are folks who are feeling the pinch and need to make a switch. At Highline, we want to dig deeper into these kind of work environments to find out what’s causing the discomfort and who is being affected. This gives us a clearer picture of who has a good reason to leave and find a new environment that suits them better.

4. I have more horsepower to use.

Plain and simple, Mike and I love to hear this. A statement like this one demonstrates that the person is a real candidate and is aware of what kind of capabilities they have. They aren’t getting the chance to shine, and they want to guide a brand or affect change at a higher level. This is a mark of an elite performer, and someone who will be truly interested in stepping into a new position, as opposed to someone merely window shopping.

When you find these motivators in a candidate, there’s a good chance they could be a star at an outdoor brand company. Of course, it’s not only about these factors, but it’s a great place to start when identifying individuals that pique our interest. Asking the deeper questions, pushing further beyond blanket statements and finding out what’s at the heart of an interested party – well that’s just what we do here at Highline Outdoor Group.

—Tony O’Neill, President

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About the Author: Tony O’Neill is the Founder and President of Highline Outdoor Group — the purpose-driven executive search firm for forward- thinking outdoor industry and sporting goods companies and brands.

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