Ninety percent of all hiring decisions are made based on an interview. Yet, traditional interviewing methods are effective less than 1 out of 5 times. Poor hiring decisions cause increased turnover rates that relate to a reduction in overall company profits-but you can break out of the pattern that lends itself to wasted time and money.
Many managers have a tendency to hire employees based on skills and fire them because of attitude. Yet, these mangers face a challenge in defining attitude relative to performance. Attitude can only be seen through behavior. These challenges can be overcome. You can implement this simple 4-step process and increase your "good hire" ratio and improve employee longevity along with bottom line profits.
A multitude of mistakes are made throughout the interviewing and screening process. The most common hiring mistakes include:
- untrained interviewers
- selection decisions being made too quickly
- emotional decisions being made based on chemistry or style
- too much emphasis being placed on education and technical (hard) skills and not enough on thinking and relationship (soft) skills
Step 1 - The Work Environment Assessment
The first step in the process is to determine the behaviors necessary for the position. The work environment is used to create a behavioral style that best matches the job description. Every job that requires human effort has a work environment. That work environment can be best described in terms of behavior. When you match the behavioral style of the person to the job, the person will be better able to perform the job requirements. If the behavior of the person does not match the job, there will be tension between the job and the person's natural behavior, which may affect longevity and work performance.
Several elements of the behavioral styles mentioned in Chapter One will help to direct you in your quest to match behavior with the job responsibilities. Keep the following in mind as we look at various occupations in later chapters.
Dominance - how a person responds to problems and challenges
Influence - how a person influences others
Steadiness - how a person responds to the pace of their environment
Compliance - how a person responds to rules and procedures set by others
Step 2 - Defining the Core Competencies of The Position
The next step is to determine the core competencies or the "soft skills" required for the position. Collect data from 5 to 10 company individuals who understand the position well. Clarity, understanding and consensus on what competencies are required for superior performance are essential for accurate behavioral interviewing. Your goal is to create a list of competencies that are required for this position and to match them with the behavioral style of each applicant.
Research indicates that specific groups of competencies are required to produce superior performance in most positions. From your list, you can develop interview questions. The questions should provide you with a framework for comparing candidate competency strengths with the competency requirements of the position.
Step 3 - Personal Interests, Attitudes and Values Assessment
Once a phone interview has been completed utilizing the behavioral interview questions, you can determine if the candidate has the skills that are necessary for the position. If the candidate is qualified, he/she should then be reviewed in relation to attitudes and values.
Knowledge of an individual's attitudes helps to explain why they do things. A review of an individual's experiences, references, education and training helps in assessing what they can do. Behavioral assessments can provide you will excellent help in defining how a person behaves and performs in the work environment. The information from Chapter Two can help you assess the applicant's PIAV.
Step 4 - DISC Behavioral Model
Behavioral research suggests that the most effective people are those who understand themselves (both their strengths and weaknesses) so they can develop strategies to meet the demands of their work environment. (See Chapter One.)
A person's behavior is a necessary and integral part of who they are. Much of our behavior comes from "nature" (inherent), and much comes from "nurture" (our upbringing). This combination is the universal language of "how we act," or our observable human behavior.
The information provided by the DISC Behavioral Model shows you four dimensions of normal behavior. They are:
- how a person responds to problems and challenges
- how a person responds to the pace of their environment
- how a person responds to rules and procedures set by others
- how a person may influence others to their point of view
Understanding these four dimensions enables you to make informed decisions and select employees who offer the best fit for the organization.
Through the use of the 4 steps that comprise the interviewing and screening process, your company can easily select new hires that will:
- serve their team well
- experience a high level of job satisfaction
- exhibit company loyalty
- offer excellent job performance
After all... when your employees do well, the organization as a whole does well.