Article
December 2012
When it comes to the hiring process, false positives can occur as well. In other words, the person you interviewed is not the same person who shows up to work. Obviously, they are the same physical person but the skills and experience that they touted as having during the interview process do not necessarily pan out to be the same in their on-job performance.
The purpose of the hiring process is to vet all candidates to determine which one will be the best fit for your company and the specific job function. It is very costly for a company to hire a person to fill a role and then to subsequently have to fire that person because it did not work out. This is a “false” positive. The hiring manager believed that the person would be a great fit, yet they did not ultimately have what it takes to do the job. To avoid the costs and headaches, it is recommended that hiring managers “hire slow, fire fast”. In other words, take your time during the interview process to hire the person who best represents his/her potential on the job-performance during the interview.
This certainly is not an easy task, but by developing some metrics to measure each candidate against, you can help to reduce the false positives and ensure that you are hiring the best possible person to fill the needed role.
Tips for ensuring that job-performance matches interview representation
Dig Deep. Some candidates may be so eager to get the job that they will say anything they think you want to hear. Generic questions such as “tell me about yourself” and “what do you like to do in your spare time” will not give you any indication of their performance in the role. Ask good questions that offer the candidate the ability to develop and deliver well-thought-out responses to your real-time challenges and tasks. This will help ensure the ideal candidate on paper is truly the one who can deliver in the role.
Define Goals. Clearly define the role and its responsibilities and ask the candidate for their input and views about 30, 60, and 90-day goals. Depending upon their responses, you should gain insight into their goal-setting process, their use of judgment, and how they evaluate success and/or failure in meeting those goals.
Understand Motivation. It is important to understand a candidate’s motivation for seeking employment and in particular, for applying to THIS job. A person’s WHY can tell you a lot about their perception of work, their dedication and commitment, and their ability to remain motivated for the long-term.
Cultural Fit. Being a good fit does not simply mean that the person is qualified to do the job based on their education, skills, and experiences. It also means that they have the right personality traits or characteristics to get along with and collaborate with other members of the team. Now, this does not mean that you should only hire like-minded or culturally similar employees. If teamwork is important, a candidate’s personality should be assessed to show they can work well with others. All too often, you hear stories in which an employee was let go simply because they were not a “fit” with the rest of the team. Maybe they didn’t play nicely in the sandbox! A personality assessment can help to foresee any conflicts or issues that may arise before they happen.
As a hiring manager, it is your responsibility to hire the most qualified candidate. Sometimes, though, experiencing a false positive is inevitable. For whatever reason, the employee just did not work out. As difficult as it may be to have to start the process again, take each case as a learning opportunity to better hone your hiring process.
Whatever your hiring process, keep in mind that you are looking to avoid hiring a person who will ultimately not be a good fit for your company, the corporate culture, and the specific role. This false positive is very much like the effects of a false positive in the testing of COVID-19 – it can be detrimental to the future health of your organization.
Impactful Resources is a Southern California human capital firm providing advisory, interim and project-based resources, and direct placement to our clients. Our expertise is focused in accounting/finance and digital, marketing, and creative talent.