Despite the tight job market, I often see clients presenting a long wish list for candidates when advertising a job vacancy. For IT professionals, agile working is often listed as a requirement. This well-known method originated in the software world and is primarily used there to deliver projects in short cycles.
However, not all IT professionals have an agile certification, which unnecessarily narrows down the pool of potential candidates. Therefore, I prefer to focus on where someone can develop. It can all be learned, both in practice and by taking the necessary agile training courses. Agile working is also something we often do unconsciously.
I do not develop software myself, but when it comes to finding the right IT professional, I follow a well-defined step-by-step plan based on principles. It starts with a clear intake, together with the person currently filling the role and the hiring manager. What do we offer and what do we ask for? If that is balanced, we move on to analyzing the candidate market, with generic feedback. Why do professionals find this role attractive or not? That changes every quarter, just like people’s availability.
In the end, I present a range of potential candidates: alongside a young potential, for example, there may also be an experienced professional. Then come interviews (with guidance and evaluation), followed by second rounds and possibly an assessment. The last step is the offer, during which I double-check what someone roughly expects to earn. During the closing phase, I thoroughly discuss the contract with the professional to avoid misunderstandings in this crucial stage.
It is a fixed sequence that provides structure and clarity. Feedback and continuous adaptation are crucial, as is good collaboration. This shows that you can find agile principles everywhere, including in the (executive) search process.
That said, agile working also comes with its challenges, as described in this Forbes article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/12/06/20-common-challenges-when-introducing-agile-and-how-to-overcome-them/?sh=38a40345e6c5
