Insight Blog

When a new role is created within an organization, it can be an exciting time for the business and for candidates interested in the position. It presents the hiring team with an opportunity to restructure the organization and adopt a new outlook. It presents candidates with a new challenge and the opportunity to help define their impact on an organization. Our search consultants offer five suggestions to those recruiting for, or pursuing, a newly created role.

1. Know the strategy behind the addition.

As the hiring manager, consider the reason for adding the role to the organization. While you may not be able to pinpoint exactly what or who you hope to find, you should be able to define why you are searching for a professional. If you have a partner in the recruiting process, whether internal HR or an external recruiter, discuss and determine the rationale for the search to create as much transparency as possible. Strong candidates will see through weak reasoning and may perceive a risk involved in pursuing the role.

As the candidate, inquire about the reason for the position’s creation.

• Has the existing team been short-staffed?
• Is vertical or geographic market growth an objective?
• Does the company want to expand its service offerings and expertise?
• Is the new position in the headquarters’ location, an established office, or a startup office?
• Was there a recent — or is there a pending —retirement?
• Will the organization be grooming the selected candidate for succession to a C-suite role?
• Is the organization preparing for a potential sale or merger?

Understanding the company’s purpose for creating the role will foster better conversations during the interview process and help you to evaluate whether the role is right for you.

2. Do your research and draw from experience.

As the hiring organization, you can benefit from completing a market analysis to determine if comparable positions exist within your industry and how you intend to source and evaluate candidates. Many newly created positions are unique in some way that separates them from traditional positions, and you need to understand what spectrum of knowledge, skills, abilities, and experiences will define an ideal candidate.

As the candidate, consider how much you know about the hiring organization. Do you understand its business strategy and how the newly created position fits in structurally? If not, have an open dialogue with the hiring manager or with current or former employees to gain a better understanding of the organizational structure. Are you aware of the hiring organization’s competition, client base, and service offerings? This information will be key to effectively communicating your perspective on how the new position can be successful. As you consider this new opportunity, think about whether you have taken on a newly created role in the past. If yes, what did you learn from that experience? Recalling your experience will make for a productive dialogue with the hiring manager.

3. Be flexible and expect the role to evolve.

As the hiring organization, aim for 100% clarity, but expect 75%. Have core qualifications and position requirements defined as much as possible while being mindful that the ultimate scope and goals of the position may be defined by the unforeseen strengths, weaknesses, experiences, and abilities of the candidate pool. Some candidates will appreciate the opportunity to take on a new position that is somewhat undefined in order to have direct influence over what the position becomes within its first one to two years. If that opportunity is communicated positively and effectively, the open-endedness of the new position can be a major selling point to individuals who thrive on an added challenge.

As the candidate, understand that the trade off for being able to help define your potential impact is that the scope and goals of the position may not be 100% defined.

4. Count on a support system.

As the hiring manager, provide the necessary resources — training, funds, supplies, and staff members — to help the new hire be successful. Consider teaming the new hire with a tenured employee so he/she has someone, besides a manager or HR, to consult for advice.

As the selected candidate, understand that while there may be some autonomy to your new role, there is also a support system in place to help you succeed in the new environment. Utilize the resources you are allotted to help you perform proactively. Revisit the expectations you set for yourself and for the role during the interview stage and consider who can help you to achieve success and what tools you will need.

5. Be patient as big strategic ideas take time.

It can take 6 to 12 months (or longer) for a new employee to acclimate to a workplace culture and since the role is new to everyone, it may also take the organization time to adapt. Only after the role has been fully defined and integrated, can its impact be realized. To ensure the addition is a successful one, the hiring manager and the selected candidate should agree on key performance indicators and collectively set milestones for success.

If you are considering creating a new role within your organization, please contact the Helbling director in your region to discuss a talent acquisition strategy. For more about securing a leader for a newly created role, read our latest case study on the search for Director of Project Solutions, Healthcare.