Most of us fail to think about screening for new employees in any
depth. We don't understand the biases we bring into the process, and
more than this we don't connect what's happening in the organization
in terms of culture, training, and values, to what we're doing at the
front end.
I often hear the comment, "Oh I can tell if the applicant is going to
work within the first five minutes of the interview." What happens then
is the interviewer justifies his or her initial impression for the
remainder of the interview.
What's wrong with this?
Experience has shown that it leaves the process far too vulnerable to
personal bias.
Organizations are notorious for spending vast amounts of money on
training but rarely consider how their hiring procedures might
undermine or support their efforts.
Screening for the candidates that best suit the organization needs to
better thought out.
Don't hire people who aren't going to make it in the long run. If you
want intrinsically motivated individuals ensure your culture, your
management style and your organizational values will allow for that
kind of person to flourish.
Make sure the people involved in the screening process know the
organization, and know how to recognize the right skills.
Every screening process should have a variety of stages. Just as
production workers are tested for mechanical aptitude and dexterity,
so too should management applicants be tested on the skills they'll
need to perform well in their positions. References, and good talk are
simply not adequate. Skills must be demonstrated. A good screening
process will include a testing procedure, several interviews, and a tour
of the organization.
But there's more. The probationary period is simply an extension of
the selection process. It's a period in which the new hire can be
closely monitored by supervisors who are testing in two areas. First,
does this individual have the basic skills to do the job and, secondly,
(although equally important), does this individual have the intellectual
and emotional skills to enhance the organization.
Testing for intellectual and emotional intelligence, as the current
management vogue names it, is vital because these traits are
stubbornly established by adulthood. Trying to alter them (or create
them) is probably a waste of time and energy. The whole point of the
screening process is to eliminate the need to deal with these issues
after a probationary period has ended.
Hire people who will augment your organization. People who will want
to stay and add to your culture but don't expect superheros to hang
around if you aren't practising what you've learned in all those training
sessions.
