Recruitment of a Star

Position
Stephen Conner should express appreciation for their interest and best of luck wishes to Rina
Shea, Gerald Baum, David Hughes, and Sonia Meetha after extending the job opportunity to
Seth Horkum.
Situation Analysis
Gerald Baum – Although Gerald possesses the talent and track record of accomplishments that is
needed for the position, he is lacking the soft skills that are equally necessary for success. His
disrespect that was so evident at being late for the interview was a major red flag, which was
quickly supported by the evidence of his inability to work well with other people. No man is an
island and sooner or later, he will need the support from staff and other relationships in his life to
be able to perform his superstar responsibilities. Not having the support is too great a risk for
RSH to take when there are other, comparably qualified candidates who do have those
interpersonal skills.
David Hughes – David possesses the skills as well as experience to be the star needed for RSH to
not lose any ground with the loss of Peter Thompson. On the Analyst rankings of 2003, David
Hughes placed 2nd next to Peter Thompson’s 3rd rank yet his overall score was almost double
(Hughes- 14.03 to Thompson – 7.43) that of Thompson. David would have been an excellent
candidate for this position; the major risk being that he was possibly beyond his prime.
Sonia Meetha – Sonia showed great promise and creativity at accomplishing what was required
as well as the insight into the global franchises. She was problem solving and interrogating
potentials even at the interview. Her enthusiasm and talent was evident. Although she was not
ranked in II in the top three or even a runner up, she was very close to achieving such status and
working with RSH would definitely place her there. The risks associated with Sonia are limited
to her preference for flexibility and freedom to schedule travel when it works best for her. Not a
bad element though it does carry some risk.
Rina Shea – Rina was carrying the burden as temporary senior analyst and may have been able to
continue doing so, if there were not other options available. The experience she gained as a temp
will increase her chances of being that much more successful once her junior analyst years are
served. If she was hired full time as the senior analyst and then wasn’t able to carry the weight,
it could damage her chances for success later in her career.
Seth Horkum – Seth seems to be the up and coming star of the batch of candidates. He has the
skills, ambition, and willingness to do what it takes to make his firm successful. He has his plan
laid out on how to utilize his talents and is even reserved at breaking with his current firm due to
his desire to remain loyal.
Goals
The order of the candidates that I would hire are as follows. First, Seth Horkum, Second, Sonia
Meetha, Third, David Hughes, 4th Rina Shea, and 5th Gerald Baum. The reasoning for my
decision is not completely the cold, hard data, but rather the feeling and gut instincts that are
associated with that data. Making decisions solely on facts is only using half of the human
equation and whereas the candidates are so closely qualified based on the star skills and II
ratings, some of the decision has to be based on impressions and the nature of the energy
associated with them.
Action Plan
Seth Horkum has both the track record (as indicated through the portfolio he presented and his
climbing the ranks in II) as well as the demonstration of being a go-getter (as indicated in his
seeking out the position, even though he wasn’t on the list of candidates from the headhunters).
He is enthusiastic about the work and that enthusiasm transfers to those around him. He reminds
me of the character Chris Gardner in the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness” who is working his
way to the top. Not everything has been in his favor but he is paying the price to become the
greatness that his potential holds. And he is deserving of the rewards available to his position
because of his work that is involved.
Risk Assessment
Seth does have some potential risks, such as being a runner-up rather than a star rank. He also
abandoned the company he has been loyal to for 15 years, which indicates that he is seeking an
opportunity for himself rather than concerned about the welfare of the firm. Although I feel
those risks are justified with the position he is in at rising the ranks and not being supported by
his firm. Those risks would not be a concern with employment at RSH.
Works Cited

The Pursuit of Happyness. Dir. Gabriele Muccino. Perf. Will Smith. Columbia Pictures. 2006.
DVD