Long live complexity!

Written by Dominic Moore

Is it me or is the world getting more complex - more policies to make sure we are all safe, more processes to make sure we all do the right thing at work, more job types to focus on emerging and future trends, more qualifications to stay relevant and employale, more technology ‘solutions’ to make life easier, more brands in the shopping aisles that can fix our ills or help us stay younger looking, more taxes to pay for more government (OK, that last one is a dig).

Anyway, I say long live complexity.  Why, I hear you say? Well here it is.  You see, as the world gets more complex it means my role, and that of any agent, becomes even more important - someone who can sort through the noise, to ask the right questions, to listen, to process, to make recommendations based on the small, often subtly mentioned, things that actually matter to both parties.

Let me give you a window into my world.  On one side we have a company that wants to hire, for example a Senior Strategy Manager based in Sydney for a global FMCG player paying $200k+super+bonus.  Sounds like a straightforward brief - good title, good salary, good location, easy. But this becomes a lot more complex when you add in additional factors that build out the true picture of the role, such as: company brand, size of company, office location, travel routine, role content, company culture, future career paths on offer, the line managers profile, team positioning within an organisation, team structure, additional language skills needed, etc, etc.

On the other side we have a person, for example an Engagement Manager level consultant looking to move to industry who lives in Sydney.  Sounds like a straightforward match. But, as above, this becomes a lot more complex when you add in additional factors such as: this individual has never worked in the FMCG sector but would be interested in doing so, they are not looking to travel much anymore given they have a young family, they really do not want to work for a large company as they have worked on projects in such settings for several years and it does not suit their career aspirations, furthermore, they have a $50k bonus due in 2 months time (remember this is just one person and for a client to hire you need to find them 3, if not more, individuals who fit the brief, so they can put them through a robust selection process and hire the best person for the role).

Coming back to my point, the challenge faced is that neither party is comfortable stating these factors on a job spec or on a CV - these are things shared in person, in confidence, with those you trust.  So this is where we come in, human beings with empathy and experience, who build relationships, build trust, who work in the grey areas, who work with the spoken but unspoken, individuals who can ask the right questions, who can influence and negotiate, and ask people to trust us when we genuinely believe an opportunity is right for both parties even though on paper it should not work (and trust me, when this happens, this is THE best placement).

So, long live complexity, as this is what makes my job interesting, challenging and rewarding, and in this era of technology driven attempts to remove humans from the recruitment process (think search algorithms, video interviews and AI), I suspect the role we play will actually become increasingly important.

If this sounds all too familiar to you as a hiring manager, or you are a current or former consultant looking for a new challenge, get in touch so we can help remove the noise and make THE best placement.