What if there was a match.com for the corporate world?

Match.com is a website which connects single guys (we hope!) with single girls (we hope!) together based upon common interests. Each person needs to complete a profile stating their interest. People usually put ‘eye catching’ pictures, words, and interests with the goal of attracting another person. The website allows you search for people in any region you want, and based upon their profile decide if you want to talk to them. While chatting, people discover if they are a fit for one another, and if so, they often make the decision to take it offline, and potentially go out on a date. If they like each other, they may even decide to go for multiple dates, and then who knows.

eHarmony is the same basic principle, but they fill out a long questionnaire and the people are computer matched to each other based on the answers to questions. You are told who to call in EHarmony, then the dating begins.

The problem with both sites is the old adage – garbage in, garbage out. If people lie on their profiles they will get matched to someone they are maybe not compatible with at all. But then, whoever lies to get some advantage with the opposite sex? Further, some people are not as sociopathic and may just exaggerate or tell it like they would like the world to be. So the one time you went skydiving turns into I love skydiving. The drinking beer and playing drunken volleyball on the beach turns into “I like long walks on the beach.” And so forth, and so on. The latter is a natural human tendency, the former is plain deceit. “Nobody is what they say they are or looks the way they did in the picture” is the mantra of many “long termers “on these sites.

In the corporate world, candidates often apply for a job via a specific company’s website. Once the candidate applies, usually an electronic system filters the applications and resumes to find certain criteria, including location, and sends those candidates to the HR manager. The human resource manager will review the candidate profile, and contact him/her if there is a fit. Then the hiring manager will speak to the candidates selected, and interviews will be scheduled. After the interview, both parties decide if it’s a fit, and begin the hiring process.

Once the candidate applies, usually an electronic system filters the applications and resumes to find certain criteria, including location, and sends those candidates to the HR manager. The human resource manager will review the candidate profile, and contact him/her if there is a fit. Then the hiring manager will speak to the candidates selected, and interviews will be scheduled. After the interview, both parties decide if it’s a fit, and begin the hiring process.

The challenge with the corporate world hiring process is, that the candidate and the hiring manager normally don’t get to meet or talk until much later in the process. The only determining factor is the resume, or ‘profile’. This lack of communication often misses the softer skills, like attitude, composure, demeanor, communication skills, and the balance between true domain knowledge vs written knowledge. Then there is out and out deception which screws up the whole process. Or someone so misperceiving their skills that they present a totally different person. Candidates write their resume/CV based upon the job description. Like Online profiles, often one piece of software exposure (the just clicked and opened it once!) becomes 5 years of experience. The candidate sees words like 'self starter' or 'great communication skills' and immediately adds to their experience 'self-starter, ambitious, entrepreneurial, leadership, great communication skills' without truly knowing the meaning of these skills. Then they apply online for the position with this 'information.'

Companies often go through hundreds of candidates before deciding the right one. And then may go have to start the process over again when the person miraculously doesn’t work out. Or they just stay with the less competent person spending corporate dollars and not getting the bang for their buck. There has to be a different way.

Imagine an outside company that would that could help you screen and qualify candidates. Connect the candidate's needs to the hiring manager, and ensure the 'soft skills' matter. Hiring Managers know what they want from a skill set perspective, and often consider the 'soft skills' as nice to haves since they believe it’s harder to screen/quantify for those skills. What if this company could ensure candidates are value adders rather than value absorbers; what if these candidates were provided continuous ongoing training and support to help them define their soft skills. These value adders could redefine the industry, and ensure that what we 'see' is what we want and what we get, eliminating those creepy ‘fake’ profiles. That means no more buyer’s remorse after that crazy first date, and a longer lasting stronger relationship!

Photos courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net