Before filling your next job opening what if you could sit down and have a frank and candid conversation with it? What would the job tell you about the people who have been successful doing it and those who have failed? What secrets would it whisper in your ear about those currently in the role? What frustrations would it like to get off its chest?
How often do you hire someone to be a bottom performer? An absurd question isn’t it? And yet, it happens all the time. Why?
Three reasons:
- You didn’t clearly define the job
- The candidate wasn’t a good fit and couldn’t do the job
- You have terrible managers
CLEARLY DEFINED JOBS
Only when you understand how the job *needs to be done* can you know if a person is going to be a fit. It’s like expecting a GPS to know where to go all by itself. The best assessment of people is limited without a solid understanding of the job you want them to perform.
You need the right tools if you want to accomplish this. The most critical behaviors and attributes aren’t always observable. The Predictive Index offers a job profiling tool that is worth the price of their entire suite. Using several data points it provides you an objective, legally defensible job profile.
Some days I feel like if I have to read one more three page job descriptions or unrealistic job-ad I’ll implode. People don’t exist who can do those jobs! The jobs are wishful thinking and the people are unicorns. Get real. Get specific. Figure out what four – six critical objectives the person will be measured against.
#1. Get clear on what you need the person to do in the role. Have a “discussion” with the Job and establish clearly defined metrics. Then decide what skills, education and experience is *really* needed.
Now you are ready to go out and source candidates.
POOR JOB FIT
It surprises no one that most candidates these days submit professionally crafted resumes and have skilled up on “how to ace the interview”. People bring their best behavior.
What’s more, we can’t help but bring our personal biases into an interview. We think people with glasses look smarter. People who graduate from northern universities are smarter. People who like dogs are friendlier. There are umpteen reasons how our personal preferences and feelings influence our impression of people.
Too many job offers are extended to a person based on a subjective “feeling”, a good vibe, great experience, or they just happen to be the first half-way decent candidate and we are desperate to fill a vacancy.
Not a promising start. That is exactly how you end up with those low performers.
The single most important question to ask is WILL the person do the job? Knowing is one thing, doing is another. Just because a person says they CAN do it doesn’t mean they WILL. I know I can cold call, but will I do it? That’s why behavior assessments are necessary. A good one tells you what a person will do verses what they say they can do. It closing that knowing-doing gap.
#2. Compare your objectively defined job to your candidate. Conduct a behavior based interview on the gaps. If it’s a fit, then extend an offer.
TERRIBLE MANAGERS
The third reason people fail is they report to a manager who has no inkling what it takes to be a leader. They were promoted into the job because they were good at what they were doing or because they have been around so long someone thought they deserved to be promoted.
A manager’s job isn’t to do the work but to get others to do to the work in an efficient, productive manner. Too many managers don’t know the first thing about how to motivate, give feedback or how to get things done without alienating people.
How many jobs have you been miserable in because you hated your boss? It happens. More people quit jobs because of bad management than any other reason. And what may be worse – they hate their job and their manager and stay anyway!
#3. If you have unpopular managers do something about it. Find out if they are even suited to be managers. Do they need skill training? Do they need some coaching? Do they understand what the job needs? Do they even want to be managers?
To sum up, I offer the following solution
- Use workforce analytics to benchmark jobs
- Hire people who have a natural propensity to do the job
- Develop managers who understand how to manage and motivate
As we head into the final quarter of 2015 what goals and initiatives are still pending? Having the right people in place will lead you to a strong finish.
Our Predictive Index consultants are experts at customizing job profiles. Contact us today for a demonstration.