As I have grown through my career of recruiting talent in the Architecture and Interior Design industry, a truth that has resonated with me is the idea of a recruiting committee. A recruiting committee is a group of trusted and experienced firm employees who understand where a firm has been, where it is today, and where it wants to go tomorrow.
I have seen several firms use these committees and have developed these committees in many more. Each time I have seen this model be a great success in helping firms find top talent that can do the job, has the passion to grow, AND is a culture fit.
But how does a firm build a committee, and what is the best way to put it to work for your firm?
Building Your Firm’s Committee
You will want to fill your firm’s committee with a mix of firm leadership and developing individual contributors. By balancing these two levels within the group, the committee can become aspirational, an appealing growth opportunity for the high-bar talent in your firm. Some firms I have worked with have made membership on the recruiting committee a rotational appointment and a qualifier for those on track to Principal.
Regardless of who is on the committee, all members of the committee must understand your firm’s core values and be able to speak about your firm’s value proposition (value=benefit-cost). They should also understand where your firm has been, how it has grown, and how it defines itself in the market.
It is also important for members of the committee to be involved with relevant organizations outside of the firm. Successful committees can function as outward public relations tools.
How to Use Your Committee
Of course, the committee can support a firm in limitless ways. As mentioned above, the group can be aspirational or a needed rotation as you develop talent within your firm.
Two uses I want to discuss here are public relations and recruiting.
The first, public relations, is an outward focus for the group. Members of the committee should also be active participants in groups like the AIA, IIDA, and others. Leveraging those memberships and connections can be a great way to educate potential clients and the industry at large on the expertise of your firm. This can be done through presentations, panel discussion participation, and white papers. By having this group, in conjunction with marketing and PR, be the “voice” of your firm, it will also position your employees, and in turn your firm, as the go-to experts in the field.
Another way this type of committee can be beneficial is in evaluating talent. This is an inward focus for the council.
First, let’s discuss the benefits of the firm on candidate evaluation. Because the committee is made up of employees who understand your firm’s core values and can speak about your firm’s value proposition (value=benefit-cost). Members have a unique perspective on how a candidate will meet the specific position need.
Also, through this understanding, the committee can evaluate the higher-level fit with the firm from a semi-detached point of view. Is the candidate biased for action? Can the candidate deal with ambiguity? Has the candidate effectively demonstrated the ability to work within a team or influence without authority? These questions that speak to the overall firm fit should be part of what the council asks in the interview process.
Second, the committee should be selling the firm in the interview process. The perspective the recruiting committee members bring can greatly influence and motivate candidates when interviewing. In chorus with the rest of the interviewing team, the committee member should be tasked with “selling” the firm. They can also lend a more in-depth look into the firm’s goals and how the candidate might fit into those goals.
The great thing about an informed and educated recruiting committee is that it is scalable and can work in any firm regardless of size, specialty, market share, or location. The most exciting aspect of the committee idea is the way it can transform a firm into a knowledge and market leader through active participation in the industry and by evaluating talent, ensuring each hire is the right hire.
