Most hiring practices center around the candidate’s resume or what we refer to as their “briefcase” and we tend to put a great deal of focus on a candidate’s work experience, education, and technical skills. Rarely do we venture into the deep end of the pool and examine the candidate’s “heart” to discover the person's passions, values and interests. This accepted hiring process is unreliable and allows personal biases and subjective decision making to sway our opinions and, ultimately, our decisions.
To create a job ad we typically begin with a job description. HR usually asks the hiring manager a list of questions to ascertain the requirements and responsibilities of the role, and a hiring agency or headhunter might even add a list of critical success factors.
The Job Ad gets posted and usually generates tons of potential candidates, especially in a market with a high percentage of the people looking for a new job. Due to the overwhelming number of resumes, the recruiter or HR executive will spend only seven seconds on each resume and only spend and additional 5-10 minutes preparing for the interview (The Ladders, Eye-Tracking Study.)
The Hiring Manager generally spends spend two minutes looking at the resume before the interview. And after the interview, a hiring decision is made.
A recent report can’t possibly come as a surprise; it shows that more than 75% of leaders feel that their external hires are disappointments. To add salt to that wound, the US Dept of Labor reports that the average cost of a bad hiring decision is over 30% of the first year’s compensation. The question begs to be asked; “just how many bad hires can a company afford?”
So what's the answer? How do we ensure we know exactly what we’re looking for, and once we do, how do we ensure we hire the right person?
I felt the same exasperation and despair; how do we hire the right people? After lackluster results with headhunters, job placement experts and several disappointing attempts using various assessments, I finally stumbled upon The Predictive Index “PI.” Adopting the tools of The Predictive Index allowed us to reduce turnover while simultaneously improving our culture. The work environment moved from grueling to fun, happy and productive; it almost seemed magical – but it wasn’t magic that was making change happen, it was science and data.
The tools PI gave us allowed us to dig deeper, well beyond the resume, and understand the candidate’s head and heart -- we learned far more about the candidates than we could have ever known by looking at a resume. We also learned that the briefcase and heart could change over time, whereas the head (behavioral drives and cognitive ability) are stable over time.
We learned that all people have drives, and those individual drives create needs and people behave in ways to meet their needs. When a person is cast into the right role, their needs are met, and those needs manifest themselves in, Increased Productivity, Increased Engagement, and Increased Performance.
To attract the ideal candidates, the “PI” Job Description is our starting point. We begin by having three to five stakeholders take a Job Assessment so we can determine what a successful behavioral pattern looks look like for the role. In other words, what DRIVES are required to be successful in this position?
The resulting position description and subsequent Job Ad uses language that resonates with people who have these drives. Like fishing with a spear, opposed to a net – you get what you're looking for.
Our process is to send a PI Behavioral assessment to the applicant; then, we examine the briefcase (resume) and finally, the heart during the interview. When trying to attract the best, we care about the candidate experience, and the PI assessment only takes six minutes to complete.
Adding science and analytics to the selection process not only yields better results in less time, it provides valuable data for developing top talent to ensure engagement and retention. And the surprising side effect of great hires is happy employees. Happy employees create an incredible culture because they love what they do.
Our process isn’t hard, and it’s not expensive. But it’s absolutely essential to attract and hire the best.
For more information on how we teach and equip companies of all sizes, how to hire and inspire talent, contact me.
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