Finding and keeping the right talent has always been a business challenge. Every manager and small business owner who has hired employees knows the frustration and disappointment of hiring someone who initially seemed to fit the bill, but just did not work out.
What went wrong? The resume looked good, the experience seemed right, the candidate gave a good impression in the interview, and the references were positive. Yet, in less than a few months it became evident that this person did not have the interest, motivation or personal characteristics to sustain the requirements of the position.
Small businesses in particular know of the challenges that face them in hiring new people. First, they are not likely to have the benefit of a knowledgeable human resource professional in their organization to help guide them in the complex selection and screening process. Secondly, the impact of the right (or wrong) selection is magnified in a small business, where every salary dollar paid out needs to have the highest productivity possible for that investment.
We hire people for their skills. However, we primarily fire them (if we can) for their attitudes, poor management judgment or interpersonal skills, or disinterest in their work. In the selection process, most employers focus on eligibility issues such as education, training, skills and related experience. While it goes without question that eligibility is very important, in the final analysis we also find that suitability is equally as important.
A person who is suitable for a position tends to enjoy the different tasks that are required, has an interest in the skill areas, has a high tolerance for the work environment, and enjoys the type of interpersonal interactions that are required for the position. Therefore, the applicant who is both eligible AND suitable is far more likely to sustain successful employment for the long term. This means more job/career satisfaction for the employee, and far greater productivity for the employer, a win-win situation.
Dr. Daniel Harrison has studied human behavior for over twenty-five years. Since 1987 he has specifically been researching the area of job / career suitability, and developing technology tools to assist companies in identifying the most suitable candidates. According to Dr. Harrison, developer of the Harrison InnerView, a software based assessment profile, the psychological principle behind suitability is quite simple and correlates with basic behavioral theory.
“If we like doing certain things, we tend to do them more often. When we do a particular thing more often, we tend to get better at it, which in turn reinforces the feeling that we like doing that particular thing. Conversely, if an employee is in a position that he/she dislikes, then he/she is likely to fall into the category of someone who ‘doesn’t live up to their potential.’”
From the suitability point of view, each person has natural preferences related to different tasks, work environments, human interactions, and interests. When those natural preferences mostly match the traits required to be successful in a particular position, the person is far more likely to perform at his or her best level. This principle applies to all jobs including senior management, secretaries, sales representatives, and trainees.
Since suitability is extremely subtle and complex, it is recommended that organizations consider a comprehensive computerized methodology as part of their selection process. This allows the hiring entity to set specific suitability criteria for a particular position, and then assess candidates against those criteria.
Unfortunately, those who are responsible for the interview and selection process are generally not as well trained as they could be. In addition, interviewing is a subjective process which is influenced by the personalities and emotions of those involved in the process. Some studies have shown that many hiring decisions are actually made in the first five minutes of the interview, by first impression or “gut” feel.
The main reason to integrate assessments into your selection process is to increase the level of information available for decision-making, reducing the risks associated with a poor hire. It is estimated that interviewing alone will produce a well-matched hire only about 30-40% of the time. Using some type of validated assessment tool can increase that to about 50-60%. Using an advanced and sophisticated technology tool such as the Harrison InnerView profile can boost the success to as high as 85-90%.
While today’s assessments are not meant to be a substitute for personal interviewing, or to be the sole determinant of the final choice, they can help to objectify the process by evaluating candidates in an “apples to apples” fashion.
Some of the critical but otherwise hard to determine characteristics that can be measured by contemporary software assessments include: initiative, planning ability, risk taking, flexible, honesty, collaborative, tolerance of structure, diplomatic, organized, precise, systematic, autonomy, self-improving, influencing, persistence, management style and interpersonal skills.
It is recommended that the assessment you choose to assist your company in the employment selection process be well researched, with proven validity, and legally compliant. From a user perspective, it should also be fast, accurate, easy to use and cost effective.
It has been estimated that the cost of turnover can be as much as one to one and a half times the person’s salary to replace them. The development of suitability assessment software tools such as the Harrison InnerView has made it possible for organizations to radically improve the predictive accuracy of their hiring process. By hiring right the first time, companies can effectively reduce turnover while increasing job productivity and satisfaction for their employees.
