How to Hire So You Don't Have to Fire

After three weeks of rigorously screening candidates, a CIO hired Chris White (not her real name) for an IT management position at a manufacturing software vendor.

White was responsible for leading a team of six individuals and overseeing one of the company’s technology functions. The CIO was convinced that White was the right person for the job. After all, she had worked in environments similar to the one at the CIO’s business and had solved technical problems similar to the ones the vendor was facing. White also had good references, who assured the CIO that White was assertive, positive and capable. She made a good impression on each of the employees who interviewed her, and she got HR’s seal of approval.

But it wasn’t long after White was hired that the CIO began to realize she had made the wrong choice. White didn’t stand up for her subordinates. Instead, she blamed her own failures on her direct reports. She was condescending toward older workers. And she didn’t make her direct reports feel welcome or comfortable when they came to her for direction. Three months after White came on board, she was let go, and the company had to start the costly and time-consuming hiring process all over again.

In spite of their apparent due diligence, many executives still miss the mark when trying to find the right person for a job. Oh sure, they know the qualities that a new hire should possess.

They want someone who’s passionate about his or her work, eager to learn and open to new experiences. Those are all traits that indicate a good attitude. Hiring is so difficult because many executives don’t know how to determine whether the candidate sitting in their office really possesses the characteristics they’re seeking and is all that he or she claims to be. Further complicating the process is that prospective employees are always on their best behavior, and executives can no longer rely on references to vet candidates because legal departments are increasingly advising companies not to provide references for liability reasons.
Indeed, Peter Cappelli, a professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, says that most companies are so bad at finding the right person for a job that they have no idea whether their hiring process is effective. But, he adds, “you don’t have to do much to make huge improvements.” That’s good news for executives who’ve been more occupied during the past three years with layoffs than with recruiting.

As the economy rebounds, they will have to start polishing their rusty interviewing skills and become masters of evaluating candidates’ dispositions and suitability for a position. To help you in this endeavor, we have compiled two methods for assessing a person’s attitude and making sure you get the right person for the job.

All the right questions
Too often hiring managers focus on a candidate’s skills and qualifications rather than on who he is or his personality, says Dick Grote, president of Grote Consulting, which specializes in performance management. “The focus of our selection is on whether an individual can or can’t do a job. We ask, ‘Where did you go to college? How much experience have you had?’”

That is not to say an executive shouldn’t test a candidate’s knowledge or ask about his professional experience. But executives should stock their interviewing arsenals with the types of questions that will help them identify if someone’s personality and attitude is right for the position they’re looking to fill.

Some managers ask candidates to describe their dream job. The answer gives you insight into the person and the types of things they like. Be wary of candidates who start describing the job for which they’re applying. This can suggest that they’re disingenuous, focusing on their own agenda instead of on what’s being asked of them.

Ask questions specific to the role they’ll be playing in the organization. When hiring for a leadership position, ask candidates if they’ve ever fired anyone. If a candidate has been in that situation, ask why and how she handled it. If, for example, the candidate says that she first sought HR’s advice to ensure she wasn’t violating any policies or making herself vulnerable to a lawsuit before telling the employee in the privacy of her office that the person’s performance was negatively affecting team morale and that the employee would need to move on, then you know the person is capable of handling sticky situations in a methodical, professional manner. On the other hand, if the candidate answers that he would simply tell the employee that she’s unsuitable for the position and hand her a pink slip without ever having reviewed the performance, the individual’s response indicates a lack of sensitivity and experience.

Try behavioral assessments
While judging personality may well be the most critical component in determining whether someone is right for a job and for your organization, it’s also the most elusive factor to identify. Some companies use behavioral or personality assessment tools to measure a person’s fit for a job. Alpern Rosenthal and many other companies have had success with a Web-based tool called the Predictive Index (PI).

Developed in the 1950s, the PI provides information about the working conditions that are most rewarding to an individual and that make the employee the most motivated and productive (www.piworldwide.com). When administered on a computer, the PI consists of two separate screens. The first lists 86 adjectives, including sophisticated, earnest, self-starter, loyal, passive, persuasive, obstinate and charitable. The individual taking the PI is asked to select as many adjectives from the list that describe the way he thinks others expect him to act. The second screen contains the same adjectives and asks the person to check off those that he thinks describes himself. The PI measures a person’s optimum working conditions by comparing what he checks off on the first screen with what he checks off on the second screen.

Some executives are skeptical, at first, when their companies use the Predictive Index. They sometimes think it would create a homogeneous organization of drones who never disagreed with one another. However, the purpose of PI is predicated on the notion that organizations need to be diverse because different positions require different personalities and behaviors. Because the PI makes behaviors measurable, managers have a sound way to compare the required behaviors with a potential employee’s actual behaviors.

Managers use the PI to create job ads that state the type of person and characteristics that are needed for a position.

The PI then helps screen candidates and speed the interview process by comparing various applicants’ PIs to predetermined job behavior criteria. Managers may focus their time and resources on those candidates who most closely match the job requirements. Fewer candidates need to return for second interviews.

Winning the Game
Hiring is one of the most important aspects of a manager’s job. The value of correct hires goes to a company’s bottom line. Taking the time to recruit the right people with the right skills and attitudes will vastly improve your hiring odds.

If you would like to discuss your company’s
hiring practices and see if there is room for improvement, please contact Patricia Darke of our PI Leadership Group at (612) 381-8847 or pdarke@lblco.com.

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