mumbai the candidate appeared to be the perfect fit for the ceos job he had the qualifications and the experience but as he was being being driven for his final interview he lost his temper due to a traffic jam caused by a heavy shower when the company driver reported the incident back at hq red flags went up the companys management took serious note of the drivers complaint they felt if a candidate couldnt maintain his cool on a rainy day how would he lead the business where he would be firefighting on a daily basis says hunt partners managing partner suresh raina who was part of the search process the candidate eventually didnt get the job if that seems extreme heres a word of caution organisations are taking unusual steps to ensure they make the right hire for a leadership role from scrutinising the lifestyles of candidates to evaluating their personal horoscopescompanies evaluate leadership candidates lifestyles more closelya few years ago an organisation had almost finalised a candidate for a director level post till his lifestyle came to light the search firm which scanned through explicit social media posts by the candidate alerted the company on the possibility of going wrong on this hire after certain facts about his lifestyle were found out the firm decided to organise a health check the person not only appeared to be into substance abuse some of his social media posts also revealed a racial bias the candidate was rejected outrightillustrative imagequestions that search firms regularly face from their clients are not restricted to smoking and drinking habits alone they also extend to the dressing and fashion style of candidatesaccording to executive access india md ronesh puri companies do checks to protect their brand there have been cases where ceoscxos have got drunk and created scenes causing embarrassment companies are therefore looking at the lifestyle of leadership candidates more closely now some companies where promoters believe in simplicity and upholding values are petrified of somebody changing the culture and values of the organisation by exhibiting a different lifestylereference checks are carried out on the candidates lifestyle much of which can be revealed by hisher social media activity stellar search founder and chairperson shailja dutt strongly advocates that while doing a 360degree assessment of a future leader hiring committees should probe the candidates lifestyle choices in greater detailin the current corporate environment cxo hiring mistakes are considered a risk oversight and many boardsleadership teams are facing intense scrutiny in view of the same says dutt clients are validating their opinions on a leadership hire by supplementing their reference checks with stringent social media checks as well she addswhile there is an equal argument made for the case of candidate privacy dutt says in light of easily available information thanks to their digital footprint candidates are under the microscope more than ever before and this trend is poised to grow in times to comecompanies are also concerned about an individuals health and fitness while