Name the change
Recruiting Marketing Directors is notoriously difficult. And asking them to demonstrate their skills is understandably unpopular. But with AkzoNobel, we’ve found a way to understand capability as part of the recruitment process. We began by defining the skills and behaviours they were looking for, using functional and leadership capability frameworks. Then we created a series of exercises designed to demonstrate these skills.
Make it stick
The resulting simulation encouraged candidates to demonstrate their ability to analyse brand performance, evaluate competitor brands, meet customers and develop financial models. Critically, it was structured enough to ensure candidates demonstrated their skills, but flexible enough to allow for the individual interpretation expected at such a senior level.