LU 86 wrote:
Also both candidates applied during the first 'failed search'. So what made them desirable all of sudden.
My guess would be that the emphasis on the prerequisites for consideration were changed in the second go-round. Sometimes these searches are done using a scoring system, and if the priorities for certain attributes/qualifications/experience changes, that can drastically skew the results. I have no idea who the original three finalists were, so it's impossible to compare finalists from this search to the original.
When I was involved in a similar search process, we had a lousy first group of finalists. I mean TERRIBLE-- irritating or weak personalities, bad communications skills, and borderline creepiness. We used a search firm that handled advertising the position, assembling application documents, sorting applicants, background/reference checks, etc. The least worst (on paper) of three weak finalists from that process was chosen by the group and an offer was made, but not after I expressed extreme doubt and objections about making an offer. There was pressure to hire one of the people presented to us, and I was noticing a reluctance among the other members of the hiring group to raise objections-- even though I could see from body language and eye contact that there were doubts among some of the others in the group. So I spoke up. But some of the members of the group assured me and two other doubters that the candidate was properly vetted, and their credentials were perfectly acceptable/desirable. It was the first time I'd been involved in a process that detailed and supposedly rigorous, so I expressed my doubts, we had a brief discussion, and I reluctantly went along with the majority opinion to make an offer. After only a few months on the job, that person was fired amid bizarre behavior and workplace lawsuits.
The next time around we handled the process ourselves, and we got a better group of finalists. The vetting, background checks, and reference checks were done internally by a person closely familiar with the requirements of the job (the Interim manager hired temporarily from a public agency). The person we eventually hired didn't apply the first time around because of timing/family issues, but that hiring worked out great-- not perfect, but far exceeding expectations.
In retrospect, our list of desired qualifications in the first round were too strictly focused on rote experience and paint-by-numbers credentials, and not nearly enough on intangibles like energy, imagination, management style, personality, drive, creativity, communications, moving toward positive results, demeanor, and work ethic. Those elements were of secondary concern-- considered an added plus, and the result was an unmitigated disaster.