The Foreign Service Journal, December 2019

70 DECEMBER 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS The Right Fit: Hiring the Right Person for the Right Job Helping hiring managers find the right person for the right job was the theme of a Sept. 25 panel at AFSA headquar- ters. The panel featured Ambassador (ret.) Rob Jack- son, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Office Director Suzanne Lawrence and Tijuana Consul General Sue Saarnio. The panelists shared lessons learned from their experiences as hiring manag- ers and answered questions from attendees about how they can improve their hir- ing management skills. The panel was timed to coincide with the bidding cycle. In choosing candidates, Amb. Jackson said he focuses on the importance of how interviewees conduct themselves in job interviews. He stressed that it is crucial for bidders to be confident and demonstrate leadership during the interview, but it is just as important for inter- viewees to be good listen- ers and not dominate the conversation. Ms. Lawrence offered useful advice on how to dif- ferentiate bidders at the FS-3 level, since many of the hiring managers attending the panel were hiring mid-level officers and specialists. She underlined the importance of listening to how interviewees talk about their current and previous positions. Even candidates with lim- ited experience in the Foreign Service, she said, can glean important insights from their experience. The ability to articulate those insights is an important marker of perfor- mance potential. Ms. Saarnio emphasized the need for bidders to apply for a position for the right reasons, not out of personal preference or with hopes to get promoted but with a genuine aptitude for the type of work the position entails. When asked how she chooses among candi- dates, she noted that the best can- didate is “some- one I want to be in the trenches with me when the shooting starts.” In other words, someone who is resilient and who will be calm under pressure. All three panelists agreed that family circumstances could be considered in choosing a job candidate, but two panelists advised candidates to wait to see how the interview is going before raising family concerns. For all three, the first priority in choosing among bidders is whether a candi- date meets the position’s qualifications. All panelists agreed that corridor reputations are more important than 360-degree reviews, which they do not find as helpful as personal endorsements. Far from being about “who you know,” corridor reputations are actually built on “what you have done.” Sue Saarnio said that personal notes from former bosses make a good impres- sion—far more than 360s— particularly for more senior jobs. Amb. Jackson agreed that a bidder’s reputation with his or her most recent employer is an important asset when he evaluates candidates. All three panelists affirmed the value diversity brings into the workplace, including new views and perspectives on challenging issues. The panelists were asked whether they would have done anything differently. Ms. Lawrence noted that she had the best outcomes when she trusted her instincts about someone—instincts born of years of experience—and that she should have always trusted them. Amb. Jackson said he would have relied less on 360s and urged hiring man- agers to use them only in conjunction with other forms of feedback. Ms. Saarnio recom- mended that hiring manag- ers pay less attention to pedigree and focus more on the quality and dedication bidders have put into their work as the best way to find “the right fit.” AFSA members can view a recording of this event at www.afsa.org/video. n Tijuana Consul General Sue Saarnio (left), Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Office Director Suzanne Lawrence and Ambassador (ret.) Rob Jackson speak Sept. 25 at an AFSA panel on best practices in hiring. AFSA/CAMERONWOODWORTH