Move over Amazon Job Fair, the NFL Draft is the most watched and analyzed hiring event in North America. Analysts spend a year speaking with hundreds of stakeholders for the ability to podcast, write articles and build mock drafts to be consumed by fans of the NFL. But at the end of the day, the NFL Draft is simply a massive event celebrating new hires to a football team.
Although the rules of the draft make it a different landscape than a typical job market, there are lessons to be taken from their hiring process that involves:
A large team assisting their decisions – scouts, assistant general managers and more are all part of a General Manager’s team, helping guide the decision-making process for the draft.
Tasks are delegated to the team and reports are prepared to give the general manager the opportunity to obtain information about the prospects available in the draft.
Who is on your team? How are their roles defined and how is the information presented to the hiring manager? We’ve designed screening and interview templates for our internal hires. The screening call allows a more personable conversation that confirms the candidate’s fit with the role and the company. The interview template digs in to the specific tasks and personality aspects necessary for the role. Notes are taken during both processes and submitted with the resume to the final decision maker.
A year of scouting – Scouts and other members of the football department attend prospects’ games, watch video and even attend events where prospects go through exercises relating to the sport. This gives them an idea of the skill set the player will bring to the football field. What are you doing to test the skill set of a potential hire? Are you giving technical tests to IT professionals? Are you asking potential business development hires to give you a sales pitch or a cold call introduction?
Needs Assessment and Internal Conversations/Debates – As there is a set amount of rounds in the NFL Draft (7), the amount of selections is restricted for each team. Top priorities are identified through needs assessment exercises to maximize every selection. General Managers and their team sit down and debate the merits and weaknesses of each prospect, putting together a strategy for the draft. Is there a priority set by your company or department for internal hires? Do you debate the merits of each role required and what skill sets are necessary for these roles?
The NFL Draft is a much different hiring environment than the one we live in however the draft process is comparable to a hiring process. What is your process? Does it meet the standard for the current job landscape?
Dan Julien's Musings 