Specific profiles vs. multipotential profiles.
We know that determining what type of profile to hire for a particular position is a challenge that Human Resources departments face. A question raised by recruiters when recruiting staff is: do we focus the search on specific profiles ormultipotential profiles? Of course the answer, in large part, is going to depend on the vacancy to be filled. But that isn’t the only component involved.
Multipotential profiles are disruptive, they are able to create, lead and adapt to changing environments, and to quickly learn new skills or abilities.
In contrast, specific profiles serve to complement multipotential profiles quite well, as they can provide what the multipotential profile lacks: specialisation in a specific area. For example, a mathematician and his or her specific ability with numbers.
When a company is recruiting for a specific job position, we often raise the question of whether the best profile for the job is multipotential or specialised. It’s important to highlight that some companies want to have people they can rely on to fulfil varying roles at different times.
Both profiles have their advantages, namely:
Multipotential profiles are able to effortlessly do different jobs at different times since they are highly adaptable. This in turn means they acquire know-how in a variety of areas at the companies they work for. It also means that these companies can have fewer staff, as the staff they do have are able to multi-task.
By comparison, specific profiles tend to be experts in their area of expertise, which means they are limited to a single function. The quality of their work is excellent and they tend to be highly productive in their specific field of expertise.
As we said before, the main benefit is that these two profile types complement each other, hence they are highly compatible. When thinking about which profile to hire, the answer is: it depends on the job opening, type of company, its organisational culture, and duties to be performed.
