How do the candidate’s performance, potential, background, or personal qualities compare to those of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please provide specific examples.
Keith is the number one performing member of my team and one of the top ten employees whose performance exceeds expectations in our company. Keith consistently outperformed his peers with a similar skill set, work experience, and education. Keith possesses excellent leadership traits including an ability to think both critically and strategically and a passion for making an impact in whatever organization he finds himself in. He was able to set up revenue-generating deals and operations for our company in Germany at a fast pace. This quick achievement helped him as he was promoted by two ranks after two months. Getting a double promotion has never happened in my five years at the organization. In fact, it normally takes over six to twelve months to get promoted. This record-breaking promotion made him a reference point among his peers and seniors.
Bringing Keith to the company and my team is one of the best decisions I have made. My team nicknamed him “Q” because he is innovative and strategic just like the legendary James Bond and other team members depended on him to come up with innovative ideas and provide the “special weapons” the team needed to solve problems. Apart from being able to come up with innovative ideas, he is great at communicating his ideas in a concise, professional manner. I witnessed Keith hold a workshop for the German Internet Association, where he was leading a room with about twenty older and more qualified people, and his performance was very impressive. Moreover, he knows how to analyze situations and problems, and will suggest solutions based on his analyses. He is a curious man that asks questions to understand things even more deeply, yet he will go further to conduct personal research.
After using one month as a member of the team and company, Keith was able to learn everything about the company’s operations, familiarize himself with everyone and made most senior people in our company accept him as a leader among them. Keith will always overcommit and dedicate himself to a cause he develops enthusiasm and passion for. Owing to his obvious leadership qualities such as putting others first and the endless energy and determination to have an impact in everything he is involved with, Keith was able to drive the interest of other employees including our head of Legal and HR to join his nonprofit organization, 4refugees, that connects refugees with local people. Keith is loved by his teammates and employees, and people want to work with him because he is humble and puts others first. After his promotion, it became very natural for him to train and lead others in my team to take over his tasks. He was not arrogant and always keeps in touch with the team and emphasizes his gratefulness.
Keith possesses a unique entrepreneurship spirit that drives his passion to build something great from nothing, and he is willing to push himself to the limits to achieve big goals. I saw this in him when he founded his nonprofit organization. He built it autonomously and grew it to a point where other employees were willing to become a member.
Please describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response.
Keith joined my team together with another man, Jonah, who is older than Keith in age and less experienced than Keith. We usually hold team workshops where both old and new members of the team are present. Keith had been very inclusive in team member since the first day he joined. However, I was quite afraid that Jonah would not feel included in the team, or intimidated by the capabilities and achievements of Keith. I know the importance of having and being in a team that all its members feel among, have a sense of belonging and inclusion. I know if one or all of these are missing, my team might not move forward or it might lag. As the leader of the team and due to the love I have for my team, I had to do something about this. I met with Keith, entrusted him with my observations and spoke to him about my thoughts. However, I left everything for him to handle (since he is the most concerned in this case), but told him to update me on the progress. Keith, being a caring person who put others first, took action immediately. He believed he could turn the tide and positively influence Jonah.
The first thing Keith did was to schedule daily calls with Jonah due to the difficulty in seeing each other because they work in different offices. He utilized this opportunity to mentor and support Jonah without seeing the age difference as a barrier. Keith did these with such finesse that it created a true team spirit. As Keith worked hard to be more inclusive in the team, he carried Jonah along in the quest. They planned to work on key client meetings together and share ideas. In addition, Keith ensured that he gives Jonah credit for his successes in order to encourage him as well as strengthen the bond and trust between them. Within a short time, both of them became good friends and were in touch with each other even after work. It was not surprising that Jonah became an active team member of Keith’s nonprofit organization.
I was highly impressed with the strategy employed by Keith to manage this situation and seeing Jonah feel included during team meetings gladdens my heart. When Jonah got the news about Keith’s promotion, he was happy. However, knowing Keith will be leaving the team because of his new position made Jonah sad, but there is nothing he could do about it. After the promotion, Keith immediately delegated everything he had set up to me, Jonah and some other members of the team members. Keith was very natural in his new assumed leadership position. Jonah now performs better than before. It was a great experience for both because of the sense of common purpose between them and in the team.
