Recently my agency was approached by a client who had a very tough role to fill. I’m working on it at the moment but it is proving quite difficult. The role is titled Lord of the Iron Throne and Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.
Since the last person in this role was fired after demonstrating awful character on the job, there have been a number of applicants keen to fill the position. Here is the initial shortlist and what they offer:
Tommen Baratheon – He has filled this position in the interim since his brother was fired. Is a nice enough guy but does not have the experience for the position. He relies entirely on senior advisors, some of whom are very tough to work with.
Danerys Targaryen – Many key stakeholders see her as being the best candidate. She has a tough but firm approach to leadership and has had successful results with smaller organisations. Some hiring managers have concerns that she is too attached to her children. She would like to bring them to work everyday and it is rumoured they are quite volatile so this could cause problems in the office.
Stannis Baratheon – On paper he is very well qualified for the job. He is very experienced and his career has been filled with success. What he lacks is charisma and the ability to engage with the wider public. Because of this, many feel he is the wrong person to take the company forward into the future.
Bran Stark – His skills and experience would normally place him out of consideration for the role but he has shown solid potential which could place him as a strong long term option. He has told the board he comes as a package deal along with his 2IC Hodor.
Jon Snow – He did not seek this opportunity but could be the strongest candidate. There might be difficulties moving him from his current position as he has signed a long term contract and is seemingly unwilling to relocate. He has excellent leadership and people skills, but is said to know very little.
So far these are the initial five that are in the mix. There could be other candidates who come through later but quite frankly I’m not hoping for  many more. The process of sorting the long list down to this shortlist has been incredibly arduous.
Moreover, the company is becoming an increasingly tough sell for prospective candidates. Economists are predicting that a cold business climate is fast approaching which has the potential to freeze all future profits. This economic freeze could lead to new, aggressive entrants on the market such as White Walkers Inc. This is making many possible candidates apprehensive about the prospect of taking over the company.
Currently I’m placing Danerys as the strongest candidate. Her public appeal would go down well with investors and she has good recent experience. I just worry about her family situation and how it could interfere with her capabilities on the job. Maybe I’ll have to convince Jon to move on from his current organisation. Perhaps the incentive of his own parking space can sway him but he is a very loyal fellow.  
If anyone has any recommendations on the shortlist, or other prospective candidates, please let me know. This role is a killer!