How do employees of services companies differ from employees at manufacturing companies?
A manufacturer looks first for a person who can help the business. A services company should first look for an individual who is the right fit. The right fit is more important than the ability to bring in money. If a service firm does not have the right platform, it cannot obtain the right people and the business will not go anywhere. Under top-down management, one’s career is always subordinate to the company’s goals. In a service firm, one’s career and the company’s goals must be aligned. Remember, most top-level employees in a services firm are looking for a career, not a job. There are people who can bring in a lot of money, but they create a cancer in the firm. In a services firm, people are your widgets. Your brand is your people. If you hire the wrong kind of people, you send the wrong message. Just like the weakest link in a chain, the worst person in a services firm sets your company’s image. Is there a litmus test? I like the old lunch-versus-sleep test. Interview a candidate
